Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in Young Adult Carers Relative to Non-carer Peers and Relations with Mental Health, Caregiving and Socio-demographics
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6418017 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Giovanni Landi (0000-0002-2576-3528), Aoife Bowman Grangel (0000-0001-9155-5201), Kenneth I Pakenham (0000-0002-8653-4593), Stephen Gallagher (0000-0002-5471-7774), Silvana Grandi (0000-0003-3401-2301), Eliana Tossani (0000-0002-6197-4496) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 1393-1414 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Child Indicators Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1874-8988 • E-ISSN: 1874-897X |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12187-025-10237-7 |
| OpenAlex | W4409128564 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 61 |
Young adult carers (YACs) report poorer mental health than their peers. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) constitute a mental health risk factor. Prior quantitative research has not investigated ACEs in YACs. Hence, this study explores ACEs in YACs and aims to: (1) compare ACEs in two groups of YACs (chronically ill parent and chronically ill non-parent family member contexts) with non-carer peers; (2) examine relations between caregiving and ACEs; (3) explore relations between socio-demographics and ACEs; (4) examine relationships between ACEs and mental health (depression, anxiety, well-being). A total of 1,823 Italians aged 18–29 completed an online survey. Of these, 1,458 reported no ill family member (non-carers) and 365 reported an ill family member (YACs); 268 with an ill parent, 97 with an ill non-parent family member. As predicted, YACs reported significantly higher ACEs than non-carers regardless of care context. Most reported ACEs in YACs: emotional neglect, emotional abuse, household mental illness, separation-divorce. Unexpectedly, caregiving was not significantly correlated with ACEs. Lower socio-economic status was correlated with higher ACEs. As hypothesised, higher ACEs predicted higher depression and anxiety and lower well-being. Results show that YACs are at greater risk of ACEs than non-carer peers, and that higher ACEs predict poorer mental health, hence supports should be developed that mitigate the harmful mental health effects of ACEs in YACs.
Adverse Childhood Experiences · Demographics · Developmental psychology · Early childhood education · Mental health · Psychiatry · Sociology · Child Welfare and Adoption · Clinical Psychology · Demography · Family Support in Illness · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Medicine · Psychology · Social Work
The relationship between adverse childhood experiences, family functioning, and mental health problems among children and adolescents
Stress, appraisal, coping, and social support as predictors of adaptational outcome among dementia caregivers.
Evaluation of the mental health continuum–short form (MHC–SF) in setswana‐speaking South Africans
Adverse childhood experiences
The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on youth mental health
Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults
The new life stage of emerging adulthood at ages 18–29 years
A Brief Measure for Assessing Generalized Anxiety Disorder
The PHQ-9
Examination of the tripartite model of youth caregiving in the context of parental illness
Childhood Adversity Heightens the Impact of Later-Life Caregiving Stress on Telomere Length and Inflammation
Caregiving Responsibilities and Mental Health Outcomes in Young Adult Carers during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Young Adult Carers during the Pandemic
Employment and Chronic Diseases
A Model of the Effects of Parental Illness on Youth Adjustment and Family Functioning
Stress begets stress
It takes a lot of brain space’
Service needs of young people affected by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
Relationship between childhood socioeconomic position and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
Parent–child boundary dissolution and children’s psychological difficulties
Life satisfaction, social participation and symptoms of depression in young adult carers
Predictors of depression in young carers
Child Poverty Amongst Young Carers in the UK
Where are we now? Twenty-five years of research, policy and practice on young carers
Exploring the association between parenting stress and a child's exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
The association between adverse childhood experiences and young adult outcomes
Using Adverse Childhood Experience Scores to Better Understand the Needs of Young Carers
Optimizing well-being
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |