Childhood adversity linked to later psychological difficulties

Millennials who faced family financial hardship, parents’ separation or violence in the home during childhood are more likely to have mental health difficulties in their early 30s.

According to a new report published by the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, the more adverse experiences a person faced growing up the greater their risk of mental ill-health in adulthood. Around one in ten of the generation born in 1989-90 reported experiencing at least two adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

What the researchers looked at

The researchers analysed data from more than 7,000 people in England who have taken part in the nationally representative Next Steps study since adolescence. At age 32, study participants reported on their childhood circumstances and answered a range of questions about their mental health and wellbeing.

What the study found

Millennials whose families experienced financial hardship when they were children were more likely than their peers to report poor mental health in their early 30s (40% v 26%). They were also more likely to report psychological difficulties if both their parents had spent several months or more out of work when they were children (39% v 28%).

People whose parents separated or divorced when they were growing up had a higher likelihood of poor mental health (32% v 28%), as did those who experienced violence in the home (41% v 27%).

Mental health difficulties were also pronounced for those who had an immediate family member in prison or jail, compared to those who did not (44% v 29%). This was the case for those who lived away from their parents, either with a grandparent, in a children’s home or with a foster family (39% v 29%), and for those who were homeless for one month or more during childhood (33% v 29%).

As the number of ACEs people faced increased, so did their risk of reporting poor mental health as an adult. While the chances were only slightly higher for those who experienced one ACE compared to none (25% v 28%), those who experienced two ACEs were 13 percentage points more likely to report poor mental health compared to those who had not faced any (25% v 38%). Children who had four adverse experiences growing up were 19 percentage points more likely (25% v 44%).

Around a quarter of millennials experienced parental separation or divorce (28%) or financial hardship (24%), while one in seven reported living with domestic violence (15%). The least common experiences were having an immediate family member sent to jail or prison (3%) and homelessness of one month or more (1%). While over half experienced no childhood adversity (54%), a quarter experienced one (25%), and a smaller proportion experienced either two (12%) or more adversities (9%).

Policy implications

Co-author, Professor Morag Henderson (UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies) said: “This new evidence shows that adverse childhood experiences play a critical role in shaping mental health in adulthood. As such, childhood represents a key intervention point for effective mental illness prevention.

“Recent reports predict that an extra 1.5 million people – including 400,000 children – will experience relative poverty after housing costs by 2029/30. With our research showing the long-lasting impacts of financial hardship on children’s emotional development, this suggests that there may be further pressure on child and adult mental health services in the coming years.

“The government’s upcoming child poverty strategy should aim to support parents through the cost-of-living crisis, while helping them to access improved and flexible employment and more affordable housing. If families can enjoy greater financial security, their children stand a better chance of living happy and fulfilling lives.”

The authors said that these findings show an association, not a cause-and-effect relationship between ACEs and mental health. This means that being homeless in childhood does not automatically lead to poorer mental health in adulthood. Many people overcome challenges and thrive despite difficult circumstances.

Read the full paper

‘Adverse childhood experiences and mental health in adulthood: Initial findings from Next Steps at Age 32,’ by Tugba Adali, Morag Henderson, Charlotte Booth and Alison Fang-Wei Wu.

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