1212Examining the relationship between childhood adversity and mental health in older adults

Abstract

Abstract Background There is a need to understand how early adversity is linked with mental health in older adults. The aim of this study was to 1) explore the optimal way to operationalise a scale of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and 2) examine the association between ACEs with depression and anxiety in older adulthood. Methods Data were from Wave 1 of the Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life Project (N = 7485, 51% women). Older adults aged 60-65 reported their childhood experiences of domestic adversity on a 17-item scale (e.g., physical abuse, neglect, poverty). Depression and anxiety were assessed using four validated screening instruments (GDS, GAS, MCS-12, PHQ-9). Three approaches to scoring the ACE scale were compared: i) cumulative risk, ii) factor analysis, and iii) latent class analysis (LCA). Linear regression models estimated associations between ACEs and mental health, adjusting for age, race, education, and gender. Results Childhood adversity was associated with late life depression and anxiety using the cumulative risk approach. Factor analysis produced latent factors of threat and deprivation, which were highly correlated, leading to problems with multicollinearity when estimating associations. Finally, LCA revealed three classes of ACEs: high adversity, low adversity, and parental maladjustment. High adversity and parental maladjustment were associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety symptoms compared to low adversity. Conclusion Different approaches to operationalising childhood adversity reveal that ACE exposure is associated with depression and anxiety in older adults. Future studies will utilise these methods to investigate links with cognitive decline and dementia.