Parenting-related positive childhood experiences, adverse childhood experiences, and mental health-Four sub-Saharan African countries

Marie-Kaye Soletchi Seya; Sarah Matthews; Liping Zhu; Colvette Brown; Adrienne Lefevre; Nickolas Agathis; Laura F Chiang; Francis B Annor; Jordan McOwen; Angelo Augusto; Pedro Manuel; Maman Fathim Kamagate; Marie-Therese Nobah; Rachel Coomer; Caroline Kambona; Andrea Low

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106493

Parenting-related positive childhood experiences, adverse childhood experiences, and mental health-Four sub-Saharan African countries

Child Abuse Negl. 2024 Apr:150:106493. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106493. Epub 2023 Oct 14.

Authors

Marie-Kaye Soletchi Seya¹, Sarah Matthews², Liping Zhu², Colvette Brown², Adrienne Lefevre², Nickolas Agathis³, Laura F Chiang², Francis B Annor², Jordan McOwen⁴, Angelo Augusto⁵, Pedro Manuel⁴, Maman Fathim Kamagate⁶, Marie-Therese Nobah⁶, Rachel Coomer⁷, Caroline Kambona⁸, Andrea Low⁹

Affiliations

¹ Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, GA, USA. Electronic address: mwo6@cdc.gov.
² Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, GA, USA.
³ Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis, Center for Global Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, GA, USA.
⁴ Division of Global Health HIV and TB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mozambique.
⁵ Instituto Nacional de Saude (INS), Mozambique.
⁶ Division of Global Health HIV and TB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cote d'Ivoire.
⁷ Division of Global Health HIV and TB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Namibia.
⁸ Division of Global Health HIV and TB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kenya.
⁹ ICAP at Columbia University, USA.

PMID: 37839988
DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106493

Abstract

Background: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are associated with poor mental health outcomes and risk-taking behaviors. Positive childhood experiences (PCEs) may mitigate these negative impacts.

Objective: This study 1) assessed the associations between ACEs and negative health outcomes and risk-taking behaviors among young adults, and 2) evaluated whether - and which - PCEs moderate the association between ACEs and these outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: This multi-country analysis combined cross-sectional representative survey data from young adults, ages 18-24 years, from the 2019 Kenya, 2018 Lesotho, 2019 Mozambique, and 2019 Namibia Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys. The association between experiencing any ACEs and each health outcome was assessed using Wald's chi-square tests. Multivariable logistic regression analyses assessed the association between each PCE and each outcome of interest.

Results: Females who experienced any ACEs had higher odds of experiencing moderate to severe mental distress (aOR = 2.7, 95%CI: 1.9, 3.9). Males who experienced any ACEs had higher odds of experiencing suicidal/self-harm behaviors (aOR = 6.7, 95%CI: 2.8, 16.0) and substance use (aOR = 2.5, 95%CI: 1.4, 4.2). In females, strong mother-child relationship was protective against moderate to severe mental distress (aOR = 0.7, 95%CI: 0.6, 0.9), suicidal/self-harm behaviors (aOR = 0.6, 95%CI: 0.4, 0.9), and substance use (aOR = 0.6, 95%CI: 0.4, 0.9). For males, a strong mother-child relationship was protective against suicidal/self-harm behaviors (aOR = 0.5, 95%CI: 0.2, 0.9), and a strong father-child relationship was protective against suicidal/self-harm behaviors (aOR = 0.4, 95%CI: 0.2, 0.7) and substance use (aOR = 0.6, 95%CI: 0.4, 0.8).

Conclusions: Strong parenting programs may likely play an important role in improving the psychosocial health of young adults.

Keywords: ACEs; Mental health; PCEs; Sub-Saharan Africa; Substance use; Violence against children.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adverse Childhood Experiences*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Kenya
Male
Mental Health
Parenting
Substance-Related Disorders*
Young Adult