A Correlation Study Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Health Status of Elderly People in China

Abstract Background: The impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on physical, psychological and social health in elderly life remains to be explored. Methods: This study utilized data from the 2020 Chinese Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (CLASS). Descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the impact of adverse childhood experiences on physical, psychological, and social health in later life. Results: Linear regression showed that childhood experiences of parental death (for physical health: β = -0.067, P < 0.001; for psychological health: β= -0.065, P < 0.001) and starvation (for physical health: β = -0.108, P < 0.001; for psychological health: β = -0.057, P< 0.001; for social health: β = -0.132, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with poorer health status in old age. Conversely, limited access to medical resources in childhood was positively correlated with health status in later life (for physical health: β = 0.043, P< 0.001; for psychological health: β = 0.075, P < 0.001; for social health: β = 0.074, P < 0.001). Conclusions: ACEs including parental death, starvation, and limited healthcare access, have lasting effects on physical, psychological, and social well-being in older adults. Integrating medical and social support systems should be considered by policymakers to mitigate the long-term health impacts of ACEs.