Adverse Childhood Events Significantly Impact Depression and Mental Distress in Adults with a History of Cancer

Overview

Journal Cancers (Basel)

Publisher MDPI

Specialty Oncology

Date 2024 Oct 16

PMID 39409912

Authors

Oluwole A Babatunde

Katherine Gonzalez

Nosayaba Osazuwa-Peters

Swann Arp Adams

Chanita Hughes Halbert

Frank Clark

Anusuiya Nagar

Jessica Obeysekare

Eric Adjei Boakye

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to a heightened risk of depression. We explored the relationship between ACEs and both depression and mental distress among cancer survivors. This was a cross-sectional analysis using the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System database of cancer survivors aged ≥18 (n = 14,132). The primary outcome was self-reported history of depression, and the secondary outcome was mental distress. The exposure variable was the number of ACEs, classified as 0, 1-2, and ≥3. Weighted multivariable logistic regression models assessed the association between the number of ACEs and depression and mental distress while adjusting for covariates. Approximately 22% of respondents reported experiencing ≥3 ACEs. The prevalence of depression was 21.8%, and mental distress was 15.4%. Compared with cancer survivors who had experienced 0 ACEs, those who had experienced ≥3 (aOR = 3.94; 95% CI, 3.04-5.10) or 1-2 (aOR = 1.85; 95% CI, 1.47-2.32) ACEs had a higher likelihood of reporting depression. Compared with cancer survivors who had experienced 0 ACEs, those who had experienced ≥3 (aOR = 0.67; 95% CI, 0.48-0.93) had a lower likelihood of reporting mental distress. This study highlights the impact of ACEs on depression in adulthood among cancer survivors.

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