Poster #12 - “Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Flourishing by Bereavement History Among Chinese Young Adults”

• In Event: Poster Session 05

Abstract

Background: Death of a parent and/or primary caregiver during childhood has been linked to adverse physical and mental health outcomes across the life course (Kaplow et al, 2010; Keyes et al, 2014; Phillips et al, 2005). Little is known about impacts of childhood bereavement on flourishing outcomes, especially in the presence of other adverse and positive childhood experiences. The study investigated 1) how exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and positive childhood experiences (PCEs) differs by bereavement history and how it impacts flourishing later in adulthood; and 2) the characteristics of and responses to losses experienced by a subsample of Chinese young adults with bereavement history.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from 9,468 current undergraduate and graduate students (18-35 years old) attending universities across Mainland China. Information on basic demographics, adverse and positive childhood experiences, and six domains of flourishing were collected using the Chinese versions of the ACE-International Questionnaire and Flourishing Measure. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were conducted to understand frequencies and differences in ACEs, PCEs, and flourishing between bereaved and non-bereaved students. Follow-up with subsample who had history of bereavement (n=49) explored characteristics around the loss (relationship to deceased, nature or death, etc.) and grief responses.

Results: Participants included 9468 young adults (mean age = 20.1 years). Majority of participants were female (75.3%), undergraduate students (96.4%), and single (79.8%) with only 4.3% bereaved. Approximately, 98.5% of participants with bereavement history reported at least one ACE; 21.3% reported 4-12 ACEs. We found 4.3% (n=409) of the participants experienced bereavement before age 18. Compared with the non-bereaved, the bereaved participants reported significantly higher levels of ACEs (means = 1.03 vs 2.56; chi-square = 559.84, p < 0.001), lower levels of PCEs (means = 8.40 vs 7.97; chi-square = 52.64, p < 0.001), and lower levels of adult flourishing (means = 6.90 vs 6.49; chi-square = 193.92, p < 0.001). The bereaved sub-sample reported 85 deaths in total. Most (87.8%) experienced 1-2 deaths, with father being the most (34%) reported caregiver loss. None sought grief services and most reported relying on self-regulation and family support.

Discussion: Young adults with bereavement history have higher exposure to ACEs, lower exposure to PCEs, and lower level of flourishing compared to those without bereavement history. Professional services such as grief counseling are lacking for these individuals, putting them at risk for further deleterious health and other outcomes. Programmatic efforts could consider universal screening and provision of grief and mental health counseling as a means of promoting flourishing and resilience.

Authors

• Krista Payton Woodward, Johns Hopkins University
  Presenting Author

• Effy Zhiyuan Yu, Johns Hopkins University

• Wenyi Chen, Johns Hopkins Univerisity

• Lin Wang, Shanghai Jiao Tong University