Background

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are widespread and are associated with adverse outcomes in later life, yet few studies have explored their prevalence and consequences in New Zealand.

Objectives

To provide prevalence estimates of ACEs in New Zealand using a large sample of adults, and to explore the associations between ACEs and experience of violence by intimate partners and non-partners in adulthood.

Participants and setting

2,887 participants (1464 female, 1423 male) from the 2019 New Zealand Family Violence Survey, a population based study conducted in New Zealand between March 2017–March 2019.

Methods. Descriptive statistics for prevalence of each of the eight ACE types, and cumulative ACE scores were estimated across sociodemographic groups. Multivariate logistic regression models were developed to assess association between ACEs and five IPV and two non-partner violence variables.

Results

ACEs were prevalent and co-occurring, with 55 % (95 % CI 53.2 %–56.8 %) of respondents reporting having experienced at least one ACE and 11.6 % (95 % CI 10.4 %–12.8 %) reporting at least four ACEs before the age of 18. Those who were younger, had lower socioeconomic status, and who identified as Māori reported higher prevalence of ACEs. Exposure to any ACE was significantly associated with later exposure to IPV and non-partner violence.

Conclusions

The findings provide the first comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of ACEs in the New Zealand population. They suggest that prevention of childhood trauma, maltreatment, and family dysfunction remain important and interconnected public health goals that need to be addressed to support the wellbeing of children and adults.

中文翻译：

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新西兰的不良童年经历和随后的成年受害：基于人群的研究结果

背景

童年不良经历 (ACE) 很普遍，并且与晚年的不良后果有关，但很少有研究探讨其在新西兰的普遍性和后果。

目标

使用大量成年人样本提供新西兰 ACE 的患病率估计值，并探讨 ACE 与成年后亲密伴侣和非伴侣的暴力经历之间的关联。

参与者和设置

2019 年新西兰家庭暴力调查的 2,887 名参与者（1464 名女性，1423 名男性）是 2017 年 3 月至 2019 年 3 月在新西兰进行的一项基于人口的研究。

方法。八种 ACE 类型中每一种的流行率的描述性统计数据和累积 ACE 分数在社会人口学群体中进行了估计。开发了多变量逻辑回归模型来评估 ACE 与五个 IPV 和两个非伴侣暴力变量之间的关联。

结果

ACE 普遍且同时发生，55 % (95 % CI 53.2 %–56.8 %) 的受访者报告至少经历过一次 ACE，11.6 % (95 % CI 10.4 %–12.8 %) 报告在此之前至少经历过四次 ACE 18 岁。那些年龄较小、社会经济地位较低且被认定为毛利人的人报告说 ACE 的患病率较高。暴露于任何 ACE 与后来暴露于 IPV 和非伴侣暴力显着相关。

结论

该研究结果首次全面评估了新西兰人群中 ACE 的流行情况。他们认为，预防儿童创伤、虐待和家庭功能障碍仍然是重要且相互关联的公共卫生目标，需要解决这些目标以支持儿童和成人的福祉。