Persistent effects of adverse childhood experiences on the course of pubertal development / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To explore the influence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on pubertal development of boys and girls and to provide a reference for the development of intervention measures.@*Methods@#A stratified cluster sampling method was used to select a total of 1 156 students in grades three and four in the boarding school system and public primary schools in Huangshan City and surrounding towns in September 2018, using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Pubertal Development Scale (PDS). For the baseline self-assessment survey, according to different dimensions, abuse children score no exposure groups. Children were divided into an exposure group and a high exposure level group, according to their childhood experiences. PDS self-report questionnaire was administered two years later, and an analysis of ACE type and severity of the continuous impact of youth development was conducted.@*Results@#In the baseline survey, there were 53 girls (11.32%) and 51 boys (7.41%) who developed earlier. The rate of early development in girls was higher than that of boys, and the difference was statistically significant(χ 2=5.21, P<0.05). Univariate analysis showed gender differences in the effects of type and severity of ACEs and abuse on adolescent development at both baseline and follow-up. There were gender differences in the rate of early development between boys and girls at baseline and at follow-up between the exposure groups. Regression analysis showed that the higher the degree of emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and sexual abuse in girls, the higher the PDS score(B=0.22, 0.15, 0.08, P<0.05). In boys, the more severe the emotional abuse experienced, the higher the PDS score, and the more severe the physical abuse experienced, the lower the PDS score(B=0.20, 0.04, P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#Attention should be paid to the influence of ACEs and gender differences during youth development among male and female students, and more longterm studies should also be carried out.