Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are concerning exposures that may have detrimental effects on mental health. Much of the prior evidence on ACEs comes from the U.S and western developed countries. In light of the limited knowledge of ACEs in other social contexts and the interconnection among adversities, this study aims to identify distinct patterns of co-occurring ACEs and examines the associations between those adversities and mental health in South Korea. We used data from a national sample of Korean college students recruited via non-probability quota sampling in 2019 (N = 1037). The dependent variables included three measures of mental health assessed by the Brief Symptom Inventory depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and somatization symptoms. The independent variable was the patterns of ACEs identified using 14 indicators of childhood adversity. We conducted a Latent Class Analysis with a distal outcome, using the Bolck, Croons, and Hagenaars method. The analysis found four patterns of ACEs: extreme adversity (8%), family violence (20.3%), economic adversity (10.4%), and low adversity (61.3%). The extreme adversity group exhibited multiple exposures, including interpersonal violence in home environments, economic hardship, and bullying victimization by peers. The results suggest that the extreme adversity and family violence groups showed significantly worse mental health symptoms than the economic adversity and low adversity groups. Also, the extreme adversity group reported significantly higher levels of depression symptoms and somatization symptoms than the family violence group. This study expands the current understanding of ACEs and their harmful effects on mental health in young adulthood specific to Korea while comparing them with other social contexts. Researchers and practitioners should recognize the co-occurrence of child adversities, rather than overestimating sole adversity, to develop effective strategies for promoting mental health.

中文翻译：

---

不良童年经历与心理健康的模式：来自韩国大学生的证据

不良童年经历 (ACE) 涉及可能对心理健康产生不利影响的暴露。很多关于 ACE 的先前证据来自美国和西方发达国家。鉴于对其他社会环境中 ACE 的了解有限以及逆境之间的相互联系，本研究旨在确定同时发生的 ACE 的不同模式，并检查这些逆境与韩国心理健康之间的关联。我们使用了 2019 年通过非概率配额抽样招募的韩国大学生的全国样本数据（N= 1037)。因变量包括通过简要症状量表抑郁症状、焦虑症状和躯体化症状评估的三个心理健康指标。自变量是使用 14 个儿童逆境指标确定的 ACE 模式。我们使用 Bolck、Croons 和 Hagenaars 方法对远端结果进行了潜在类别分析。分析发现了四种 ACE 模式：极端逆境(8%) 、家庭暴力(20.3%) 、经济逆境(10.4%) 和低逆境（61.3%）。极端逆境组表现出多重暴露，包括家庭环境中的人际暴力、经济困难和同伴欺凌受害。结果表明，极端逆境和家庭暴力组的心理健康症状明显低于经济逆境和低逆境组。此外，极端逆境组报告的抑郁症状和躯体化症状明显高于家庭暴力组。本研究扩展了当前对 ACE 及其对韩国特有的青年期心理健康的有害影响的理解，同时将它们与其他社会背景进行了比较。研究人员和从业者应该认识到儿童逆境的共同发生，而不是高估单独的逆境，