Adult support and its role in the association between childhood adversity and quality of life in a population-based study

Abstract

Childhood adversities can have long-term impacts on quality of life (QoL), health, and well-being. We surveyed an adult population to assess the prevalence of three common adverse childhood experiences (ACEs): parental alcohol problems, parental mental illness, and violence from caregivers, as well as the overlap between them. We additionally examined the prevalence of adult support across ACE exposure and how this support related to perceived childhood difficulties and adult QoL. This cross-sectional study used retrospective data from the Norwegian Counties Public Health Survey in Agder 2023. Data were summarized descriptively, and a Venn diagram illustrated the overlap between ACEs. We examined associations between cumulative exposure and the presence or lack of adult support and how these factors related to perceptions of childhood difficulties and adult QoL using one-way analysis of variance. The most prevalent ACEs were parental mental illness and parental alcohol problems (16% and 14%, respectively), while ~ 10% reported violence from a caregiver. We observed substantial overlap amongst the three ACE categories, with 2.4% having experienced all three. Adult support was inversely associated with higher levels of ACE exposure, and analysis showed a pattern of increasing perceived childhood difficulties and decreasing QoL scores. Adult support was consistently associated with the perception of a less difficult childhood and higher QoL, among subjects with the same level of ACE exposure. Our findings emphasize the importance of adult support within the context of ACEs, and the need for enhanced measures aimed at supporting those most affected.