TY - JOUR
T1 - Adverse childhood experiences and deleterious outcomes in adulthood
T2 - A consideration of the simultaneous role of genetic and environmental influences in two independent samples from the United States
AU - Schwartz, Joseph A.
AU - Wright, Emily M.
AU - Valgardson, Bradon A.
N1 - Funding Information:
The MIDUS 1 study (Midlife in the U.S.) was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Midlife Development. The MIDUS 2 research was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (P01-AG020166) to conduct a longitudinal follow-up of the MIDUS 1 investigation. The research was further supported by the following grants M01-RR023942 (Georgetown), M01-RR00865 (UCLA) from the General Clinical Research Centers Program and UL1TR000427 (UW) from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health. This research uses data from Add Health, a program project directed by Kathleen Mullan Harris and designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 23 other federal agencies and foundations. Special acknowledgment is due Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design. Information on how to obtain the Add Health data files is available on the Add Health website ( http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth ). No direct support was received from grant P01-HD31921 for this analysis.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2019/2
Y1 - 2019/2
N2 - Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are a potent risk factor. Despite these findings, studies have also recognized the importance of considering additional sources of genetic and environmental influence that cluster within families. Objective: To properly control for latent sources of genetic and within-family environmental influences and isolate the association between ACEs and the following outcomes in adulthood: physical health, depressive symptoms, educational attainment, income attainment, alcohol problems, and antisocial behavior. Participants and Setting: Two independent samples of twins and siblings from the United States: the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) study (N = 862) and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health; N = 3112). Methods: Sibling comparison models, which control for latent sources of genetic and within-family environmental influences, were estimated to examine whether differential exposure to ACEs was associated with the examined outcomes. Results: Families that experienced more adversity also experienced more deleterious outcomes. However, siblings that experienced more adversity were no more likely to experience deleterious outcomes than their co-siblings. However, greater exposure to ACEs was associated with increases in depressive symptoms (Add Health). Additional models revealed that the similarity between siblings from the same family stemmed from latent sources of within-family environmental influences not captured by traditional ACEs measures. Conclusions: Considering genetic influences and additional latent sources of within-family influences is crucial in isolating the effects of ACEs. Currently employed ACEs measures may not adequately capture the full range of impactful sources of family-level environmental influence.
AB - Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are a potent risk factor. Despite these findings, studies have also recognized the importance of considering additional sources of genetic and environmental influence that cluster within families. Objective: To properly control for latent sources of genetic and within-family environmental influences and isolate the association between ACEs and the following outcomes in adulthood: physical health, depressive symptoms, educational attainment, income attainment, alcohol problems, and antisocial behavior. Participants and Setting: Two independent samples of twins and siblings from the United States: the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) study (N = 862) and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health; N = 3112). Methods: Sibling comparison models, which control for latent sources of genetic and within-family environmental influences, were estimated to examine whether differential exposure to ACEs was associated with the examined outcomes. Results: Families that experienced more adversity also experienced more deleterious outcomes. However, siblings that experienced more adversity were no more likely to experience deleterious outcomes than their co-siblings. However, greater exposure to ACEs was associated with increases in depressive symptoms (Add Health). Additional models revealed that the similarity between siblings from the same family stemmed from latent sources of within-family environmental influences not captured by traditional ACEs measures. Conclusions: Considering genetic influences and additional latent sources of within-family influences is crucial in isolating the effects of ACEs. Currently employed ACEs measures may not adequately capture the full range of impactful sources of family-level environmental influence.
KW - Adverse childhood experiences
KW - Development
KW - Sibling comparison model
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U2 - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.12.022
DO - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.12.022
M3 - Article
C2 - 30605796
AN - SCOPUS:85059229241
VL - 88
SP - 420
EP - 431
JO - Child Abuse and Neglect
JF - Child Abuse and Neglect
SN - 0145-2134
ER -