Background

Adverse Childhood Experience has been shown to have several negative effects on health. Many studies have highlighted the impact of adverse childhood experiences on the individual in adult life, but very few studies have been conducted on adolescents. The impact of exposure to emotional, physical, or mental abuse and/or dysfunction in the home during childhood has not yet been previously described in such a critical developmental period as adolescence. 

Aim

The aim of the study is to explore the association between the existence of adverse childhood experiences and the level of self-reported psychological distress among Swedish high school students.

Method

Data were collected through an electronic survey that allowed for anonymous responses from high school students between the ages of 15 and 19 in Sweden. The sample was selected using convenient sampling methods. A total of 1561 high school students (39,6% male, 60,4% female, 0,06% preferring not to disclose) with a mean age of 17,15 responded to the survey, which included four questions about adverse childhood experiences. These questions assessed whether the adolescents lived with adults who had alcohol or drug use problems and whether they had experienced physical or psychological abuse. Additionally, the adolescents reported their level of psychological distress, as measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory's total scale (general severity index) and nine primary domains.

Results

Nearly half of the study population reported experiencing one or more adverse childhood experiences, which was found to be significantly associated whit worsened mental health outcomes. Additionally, a positive correlation was found between the number of adverse childhood experiences and the severity of mental health problems reported by adolescents.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that the mere existence of adverse childhood experiences had a significant negative impact on mental health, with a stronger effect observed as the number of such experiences increased. Moreover, the study identified psychological abuse the most significant threat to the mental health of adolescents.