Kirsty Brittain, Allison Zerbe, Tamsin Phillips, Yolanda Gomba, Claude Mellins, Landon Myer, Elaine Abrams

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may have a critical influence on adult outcomes and subsequent offspring development, but few data have explored the effects of ACEs in low-resource settings where the burdens of childhood adversity and HIV are high. Among mothers living with HIV in Cape Town, we examined the effects of ACEs on maternal psychosocial and HIV-related outcomes, as well as early child development in their offspring aged 36–60 months. Findings suggest that childhood adversity has long-term effects on maternal outcomes as well as their children’s socioemotional development and point to ACEs that might be targeted for screening and intervention.