Adverse Childhood Experiences and Their Association With Common Mental Disorders Among Addis Ababa University College of Health Sciences Undergraduate Students
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Date
2023-12
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Background: Adverse Childhood Experiences refer to various traumatic or challenging
events and circumstances that can occur during childhood. These experiences can
have long-lasting negative effects on an individual’s physical, mental, and emotional
well-being.
Objective: The aim of this study was to describe Adverse Childhood Experiences and
their association with common mental disorders among College of Health Science
Students at Addis Ababa University.
Methods and materials: A cross-sectional study was conducted employing a stratified
random sampling with a sample of 345 undergraduate students. The data was collected
through a self-administered questionnaire. Socio demographic, ACE-IQ, PHQ-9, GAD-
7, and a brief assessment tool for substance use was used. Binary and multivariate
logistic regressions were used to determine the association between ACEs, dependent
and independent variables.
Result: In the total sample (N = 345), the participant’s mean age was 22.2, with the
majority being females (58%). 15.9% of the participants had depression symptoms
(scored more than 10 in PHQ-9 score) and 14.2% had anxiety symptoms (scored more
than 10 in GAD 7 score). Majority of the participants (80%) had at least one ACE and
one fourth (25.2%) of the participants had experienced 4 or more ACEs. The most
prevalent type of ACE was community violence (35.4%). One fifth (20%) of the
participants had reported having experienced childhood sexual abuse. After controlling
for confounding variables, those with 4 or more ACEs were 6.17 times (aOR 6.17; 2.51,
15.18) and 6.0 times (aOR 6.0; 2.25, 16.02) more likely to have depression and anxiety
respectively.
Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of depression and anxiety among
undergraduate college of health science students of Addis Ababa University. Adverse
childhood experiences are also highly prevalent among the participants. There was a
dose response relationship between ACEs and both anxiety and depression after
controlling for confounding variables.
Recommendation: Identifying and preventing ACEs at an early stage could contribute
to reducing the prevalence of depression and anxiety among college students. Effort to
prevent ACEs should target not just individuals but also extend to households and
communities.
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Keywords
Adverse Childhood Experiences, Depression, Anxiety, ACE-IQ, CHS students