Authors:
Brown C, Nkemjika S, Ratto J, Dube SR, Gilbert L, Chiang L, Picchetti V, Coomer R, Kambona C, McOwen J, Akani B, Kamagate MF, Low A, Manuel P, Agusto A, Annor FB.
Abstract:
Background
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have debilitating effects on child well-being, with consequences persisting into adulthood. Most ACE studies have been conducted in high-income countries and show a graded relationship between multiple ACE exposures and adverse health outcomes. Less is known about the types and burden of ACEs in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
Objective
To estimate the pooled prevalence of six individual and cumulative ACE exposures (physical, sexual, and emotional violence; orphanhood; witnessing interparental and community violence) and assess their association with
mental health outcomes, substance use, and violence perpetration among young adults in SSA.
Participants and setting
Aggregate data from the Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) in Cote d’Ivoire 2018, Kenya 2019, Lesotho 2018, Mozambique 2019, and Namibia 2019 included a sample of 11,498 young adults aged 18–24 years.
Methods
Cumulative ACEs were defined by an integer count of the total number of individual ACEs (0 to 6). Weighted prevalence and adjusted odds ratios were estimated.
Result
ACEs prevalence ranged from 7.8 % (emotional violence) to 55.0 % (witnessing community violence). Strong graded relationships between cumulative ACE exposure and all study outcomes for both males and females were observed. Among females, witnessing interparental violence was the only individual ACE risk factor significantly associated with increased odds of substance use; among males, emotional violence was significantly associated with all outcomes.