Race and sex differences in adverse childhood experiences among Asian/Pacific Islander college students

Abstract

Objective

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may be detrimental to health, yet are understudied in Asians/Pacific Islanders (API). We described the prevalence of individual ACEs among API college students compared to White college students. Participants: College students (n = 8,472) from 17 Minnesota postsecondary institutions completed the College Student Health Survey in spring 2015. Methods: Students self-reported on 11 ACEs. We assessed differences in prevalence of individual ACEs between APIs and Whites. Results: APIs were more likely to report having been physically abused (adj. OR = 2.04), verbally abused (adj. OR = 1.25), and raped (adj. OR = 1.75) relative to Whites. Stratification by sex showed API males were more likely to have been sexually abused relative to White males, with additional ACEs differing significantly by sex and race. Conclusions: Individual ACE prevalence differed between APIs and Whites and is often sex-specific. Additional research is needed to estimate ACE prevalence in other racial/ethnic groups and their health impacts.

Keywords:

• Adverse childhood experiences
• Asian
• child abuse
• college student

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of the University of Minnesota.

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by the Minnesota Department of Health through funds made available by the Minnesota Legislature and the University of Minnesota.