Prevalence and associated factors of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) in a sample of Brazilian university students

Abstract

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have long been associated with health risk behaviors, but they are poorly studied in Brazilian university students.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of ACEs and investigate their association with sociodemographic data, health risk factors and self-related health in a sample of university students.

Participants and setting: A cross-sectional study conducted with 546 students from a Brazilian public university.

Method: The self-reported 10-ACE Study questionnaire (ACE-Q) and sociodemographic information (age, sex, family income), health risk factors (body mass index, physical exercise, alcohol and tobacco use) and self-related health were assessed. Chi-square Test and multivariate logistic regression were used to evaluate the association between the cumulative occurrence of ACE (ACE ≥4) and the studied factors.

Results: Of the 546 participants, 464 responded to all ACE-Q questions; 74.4% reported at least one ACE, and 13.1 % reported four or more. Lower family income (OR = 2.02; 95%CI = 1.13-3.61; p = 0.01) and self-related poor health (OR = 2.29; 95%CI = 1.28-4.08; p = 0.00) were associated with the occurrence of ACE ≥4.

Conclusion: Most students reported at least one ACE, while a minority reported ≥4 ACEs associated with lower family income and poor self-health. The data suggest that preventive actions should be considered to mitigate the problem, with lower-income students being treated as a priority.

Keywords: Adverse childhood experiences; Health risk factors; Self-related health; University students.