TY - JOUR
T1 - Childhood adversities and mental disorders in first-year college students
T2 - Results from the World Mental Health International College Student Initiative
AU - Husky, Mathilde M.
AU - Sadikova, Ekaterina
AU - Lee, Sue
AU - Alonso, Jordi
AU - Auerbach, Randy P.
AU - Bantjes, Jason
AU - Bruffaerts, Ronny
AU - Cuijpers, Pim
AU - Ebert, David D.
AU - Garcia, Raùl Gutiérrez
AU - Hasking, Penelope
AU - Mak, Arthur
AU - McLafferty, Margaret
AU - Sampson, Nancy A.
AU - Stein, Dan J.
AU - Kessler, Ronald C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press.
PY - 2023/5/11
Y1 - 2023/5/11
N2 - Background This study investigates associations of several dimensions of childhood adversities (CAs) with lifetime mental disorders, 12-month disorder persistence, and impairment among incoming college students. Methods Data come from the World Mental Health International College Student Initiative (WMH-ICS). Web-based surveys conducted in nine countries (n = 20 427) assessed lifetime and 12-month mental disorders, 12-month role impairment, and seven types of CAs occurring before the age of 18: parental psychopathology, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, neglect, bullying victimization, and dating violence. Poisson regressions estimated associations using three dimensions of CA exposure: type, number, and frequency. Results Overall, 75.8% of students reported exposure to at least one CA. In multivariate regression models, lifetime onset and 12-month mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders were all associated with either the type, number, or frequency of CAs. In contrast, none of these associations was significant when predicting disorder persistence. Of the three CA dimensions examined, only frequency was associated with severe role impairment among students with 12-month disorders. Population-attributable risk simulations suggest that 18.7-57.5% of 12-month disorders and 16.3% of severe role impairment among those with disorders were associated with these CAs. Conclusion CAs are associated with an elevated risk of onset and impairment among 12-month cases of diverse mental disorders but are not involved in disorder persistence. Future research on the associations of CAs with psychopathology should include fine-grained assessments of CA exposure and attempt to trace out modifiable intervention targets linked to mechanisms of associations with lifetime psychopathology and burden of 12-month mental disorders.
AB - Background This study investigates associations of several dimensions of childhood adversities (CAs) with lifetime mental disorders, 12-month disorder persistence, and impairment among incoming college students. Methods Data come from the World Mental Health International College Student Initiative (WMH-ICS). Web-based surveys conducted in nine countries (n = 20 427) assessed lifetime and 12-month mental disorders, 12-month role impairment, and seven types of CAs occurring before the age of 18: parental psychopathology, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, neglect, bullying victimization, and dating violence. Poisson regressions estimated associations using three dimensions of CA exposure: type, number, and frequency. Results Overall, 75.8% of students reported exposure to at least one CA. In multivariate regression models, lifetime onset and 12-month mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders were all associated with either the type, number, or frequency of CAs. In contrast, none of these associations was significant when predicting disorder persistence. Of the three CA dimensions examined, only frequency was associated with severe role impairment among students with 12-month disorders. Population-attributable risk simulations suggest that 18.7-57.5% of 12-month disorders and 16.3% of severe role impairment among those with disorders were associated with these CAs. Conclusion CAs are associated with an elevated risk of onset and impairment among 12-month cases of diverse mental disorders but are not involved in disorder persistence. Future research on the associations of CAs with psychopathology should include fine-grained assessments of CA exposure and attempt to trace out modifiable intervention targets linked to mechanisms of associations with lifetime psychopathology and burden of 12-month mental disorders.
KW - Anxiety
KW - childhood adversities
KW - college students
KW - depression
KW - impairment
KW - substance use disorders
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85123921908&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0033291721004980
DO - 10.1017/S0033291721004980
M3 - Article
C2 - 37449483
AN - SCOPUS:85123921908
SN - 0033-2917
VL - 53
SP - 2963
EP - 2973
JO - Psychological Medicine
JF - Psychological Medicine
IS - 7
ER -