ArticlePsychosomatic medicine
Self-Acceptance and Purpose in Life Are Mechanisms Linking Adverse Childhood Experiences to Mortality Risk.
Article in Psychosomatic medicine. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.
- Loneliness Links Adverse Childhood Experiences to Mortality Risk Across 26 Years.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025Article
- Identifying childhood correlates of adult purpose and meaning across 22 countries (Global Flourishing Study).Npj mental health research · 2025Article
- Coping Styles as Mediators Between Purpose in Life and Cognitive Function: A Longitudinal Study.Research on agingArticle
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with an increased risk of premature mortality, but it is not clear why. Individuals with ACEs tend to have lower self-acceptance and purpose in life, which may be pathways between ACEs and risk of premature mortality. As such, we tested whether purpose and self-acceptance are mechanisms that link ACEs to mortality risk.
methodsWe used the Midlife in the United States Survey ( N = 6218; mean [standard deviation] = 46.89 [12.94] years) to test whether these factors were indirect pathways between ACEs and mortality hazards over 24 years of follow-up. We used a comprehensive ACE measure that included 20 possible childhood adversities including emotional and physical abuse, household instability, socioeconomic climate, and ill health.
resultsACEs significantly increased mortality risk (hazard ratio = 1.028, 95% confidence interval = 1.008-1.047, p = .006). Self-acceptance and purpose accounted for an estimated 15% and 4% of the ACEs-mortality relation, respectively. These effects withstood a range of adjustments and sensitivity analyses.
conclusionsACEs may affect mortality risk partially through lower self-acceptance and purpose during adulthood. Given that self-acceptance and purpose may change through intervention, these factors may be useful targets for individuals with ACEs that could lead to a longer life.
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