Browse by author
Lookup NU author(s): Dr Dexter CanoyORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Copyright © 2023 Sun, Ren, Zhu, Cheng, Liu, Li, Xia, Yuan, Adeloye, Rudan, Canoy, Song, on behalf of the Global Health Epidemiology Research Group (GHERG). Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with higher depressive risks in adulthood. Whether respondents’ ACEs are associated with their own depressive symptoms in adulthood and whether this association extends to their spouses’ depressive symptoms remain unexplored. Methods: Data were from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), and the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). ACEs were categorized into overall, intra-familial, and extra-familial ACEs. Correlations of couples’ ACEs were calculated using Cramer’s V and partial Spearman’s correlation. Associations of respondents’ ACEs with spousal depressive symptoms were assessed using logistic regression, and mediation analyses were conducted to explore the mediating role of respondents’ depressive symptoms. Results: Significant associations between husbands’ ACEs and wives’ depressive symptoms, with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of 2.09 (1.36–3.22) for 4 or more ACEs in CHARLS, and 1.25 (1.06–1.48) and 1.38 (1.06–1.79) for 2 or more ACEs in HRS and SHARE. However, wives’ ACEs were associated with husbands’ depressive symptoms only in CHARLS and SHARE. Findings in intra-familial and extra-familial ACEs were consistent with our main results. Additionally, respondents’ depressive symptoms mediated more than 20% of the effect of respondents’ ACEs on spousal depressive symptoms. Conclusion: We found that ACEs were significantly correlated between couples. Respondents’ ACEs were associated with spousal depressive symptoms, with respondents’ depressive symptoms mediating the association. The bidirectional implications of ACEs on depressive symptoms should be considered within household and effective interventions are warranted.
Author(s): Sun W, Ren Z, Zhu S, Cheng S, Liu W, Li HCW, Xia W, Yuan C, Adeloye D, Rudan I, Canoy D, Song P
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Frontiers in Public Health
Year: 2023
Volume: 11
Online publication date: 05/06/2023
Acceptance date: 12/05/2023
Date deposited: 01/03/2024
ISSN (electronic): 2296-2565
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
URL: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1158590
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1158590
PubMed id: 37383257
Altmetrics provided by Altmetric
