Long-term effects of childhood adversity on the subjective well-being of older adults in urban China: the mediating effect of elder abuse

Abstract

Objectives

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have negative impacts on individuals’ subjective well-being (SWB) in later life. This article investigates the relationships between the ACEs and SWB of Chinese older adults and examines how elder abuse victimization mediates the pathways in these relationships.

Method

We used retrospective cross-sectional survey data collected in Beijing, China, in 2019. The study sample consists of 1002 older adults aged 65 years and over. The survey measured individual types, number, and various categories of ACEs of older adults and their elder abuse victimization experiences, along with their SWB (i.e. depression and life satisfaction). We tested the potential mediating role of elder abuse victimization in the relationships between ACEs and SWB.

Results

After controlling for socio-demographic factors and self-rated health, the results suggest a full mediating effect of elder abuse on the relationship between both several individual types and multiple categories of ACEs (i.e. childhood victimization, the family’s economic difficulties, and a family member’s episodes of illness) and depression, in addition to a partial mediating effect of elder abuse between number of ACEs and depression. A full mediating effect of elder abuse was found in regard to the relationship between a family’s economic difficulties and life satisfaction.

Conclusion

This study provides evidence for a long-term impact of ACEs on the SWB of older adults in China. In analyzing and understanding elder abuse victimization as a pathway linking ACEs and SWB, we stress the importance of the prevention of interpersonal violence across the life course.

Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2022.2040427 .

Keywords:

• Adverse childhood experience
• child abuse
• elder abuse
• depression
• life satisfaction

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by Beijing Education Sciences Fourteenth Five-year Planning Young Scholar Project (Ref. No. BACA21111) and Start-up Fund for RAPs of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Ref. No. P0036153).

Disclosure statement

The author(s) declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.