Exploring Adverse Childhood Experiences in Adult Offspring of Patients with Schizophrenia and Its Implications for Psychological Distress: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood. Chronic exposure to any of these experiences can lead to various physical and mental health problems in adulthood. Acquiring knowledge of the etiology of childhood adversity is very important. Hence, we aimed to study the frequency of domains of ACEs in adult offspring of patients with schizophrenia and their relationship with psychological distress. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary mental health center for 6 months using a convenience sampling technique by standard questionnaires that include ACE – International questionnaire and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale – 21 scale. Statistical analysis was done accordingly. Results: Among 66 participants aged between 18 and 30, the household treating violently (75.76%) was the most common domain affected. There were significant associations of physical abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect, bullying, household violence, and who had single or no parents with the symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. Conclusions: Finally, we found that >50% had ACEs in the offspring of patients with schizophrenia. The individuals who have faced ACEs can tend to recall stress, anxiety, and depression in the future.