Abstract
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with depression and systemic inflammation in adults. However, limited longitudinal research has tested these relationships in children and young people, and it is unclear whether inflammation is an underlying mechanism through which ACEs influence depression. We examined the longitudinal associations of several ACEs across different early-life periods with longitudinal patterns of early-life inflammation and depression in young adulthood and assessed the mediating role of inflammation. The data came from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (N = 3931). ACEs from the prenatal period through to adolescence were operationalised using cumulative scores, single adversities, and dimensions derived through factor analysis. Inflammation (C-reactive protein) was measured on three occasions (9–18 years) and depressive symptoms were ascertained on four occasions (18–23 years). Latent class growth analysis was employed to delineate group-based trajectories of inflammation and depression. The associations between ACEs and the inflammation/depression trajectories were tested using multinomial logistic regression analysis. Most types of ACEs across all early-life periods were associated with elevated depression trajectories, with larger associations for threat-related adversities compared with other ACEs. Bullying victimisation and sexual abuse in late childhood/adolescence were associated with elevated CRP trajectories, while other ACEs were unrelated to inflammation. Inflammation was also unrelated to depression and did not mediate the associations with ACEs. These results suggest that ACEs are consistently associated with depression, whereas the associations of inflammation with ACEs and depression are weak in young people. Interventions targeting inflammation in this population might not offer protection against depression.
Highlights
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with an increased risk of depression in both children and adults [1, 2]
We examined the associations between several types of ACEs from the prenatal period through to adolescence with longitudinal patterns of early-life inflammation (9–18 years) and depressive symptoms in young adulthood (18–23 years) in a large population cohort, considering both the timing and patterning of ACEs
Summary of main findings Using data from a large population cohort, we investigated the associations of ACEs with longitudinal patterns of early-life inflammation and depressive symptoms in young adulthood, considering both the patterning and timing of ACEs from the prenatal period through to adolescence
Summary
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) (e.g., abuse, family dysfunction, bullying) are associated with an increased risk of depression in both children and adults [1, 2]. Elevated systemic inflammation is a plausible mechanism through which ACEs might be translated into biological risk for depression [3]. Several observational studies have demonstrated that adults exposed to ACEs often exhibit elevated levels of inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukins (ILs) [4, 5]. Most research to date has focused on adults, while there is a paucity of studies that have examined the associations of systemic inflammation with ACEs and depression in children and adolescents. The majority of these studies were cross-sectional, only included single assessments of inflammation and depression, and did not formally test the plausible role of inflammation as a mediating mechanism through which ACEs may become biologically embedded and contribute to the pathogenesis of depression
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