Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40739645›Full record

ArticleChild and adolescent psychiatry and mental health2025

The association between adverse childhood experiences and mental disorders among adolescents in Kenya, Indonesia, and Vietnam: Evidence from the National Adolescent Mental Health Surveys.

Yohannes Dibaba Wado, Anne Njeri, Sally Atieno Odunga, Isaiah Akuku, Amirah Ellyza Wahdi, Shoshanna L Fine, Astha Ramaiya, Mengmeng Li, Vu Manh Loi, Joemer C Maravilla and 3 more

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In one paragraph

Article in Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Cumulative Adverse Childhood Experiences and Multiple Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children and Adolescents: A Population-Based Study.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2026
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  3. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Yohannes Dibaba WadoAfrican Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya. ywado@aphrc.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7200-6116
Anne NjeriAfrican Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya.
Sally Atieno OdungaAfrican Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya.
Isaiah AkukuAfrican Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya.
Amirah Ellyza WahdiCenter for Reproductive Health, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Shoshanna L FineDepartment of Population, Family and Reproductive Health,, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Astha RamaiyaDepartment of Population, Family and Reproductive Health,, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Mengmeng LiDepartment of Population, Family and Reproductive Health,, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Vu Manh LoiInstitute of Sociology, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Joemer C MaravillaSchool of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD, Australia.
James G ScottQueensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Wacol, QLD, Australia.
Holly E ErskineSchool of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD, Australia.
Caroline W KabiruAfrican Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya.

Funding

The University of Queensland in America (TUQIA) (Through support from Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates company) N/A
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFew studies have examined the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among adolescents living in low- and middle-income countries, and fewer assessed the association with mental disorders.

methodsWe used data from nationally representative household surveys of mental disorders among adolescents aged 10-17 years conducted in Kenya, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The lifetime experience of 13 ACEs was measured using a self-administered questionnaire. Mental disorders were measured using a diagnostic instrument. The proportion of adolescents who endorsed each individual ACE, as well as those who endorsed one or more and four or more ACEs, was calculated. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the associations between the number of ACEs endorsed and any mental disorder in the past 12 months, after adjusting for demographic characteristics and primary caregiver mental health.

resultsThe prevalence of experiencing at least one ACE was evident among adolescents in all three countries, with Kenya (65.8%, 95% CI: 63.0-68.5) demonstrating significantly higher prevalence than Indonesia (40.2%, 95% CI: 36.4-44.1) and Vietnam (36.9%, 95% CI: 33.1-40.8). Significant differences were seen between all countries in the prevalence of adolescents who experienced four or more ACEs (Kenya: 19.3%, 95% CI: 17.5-21.2; Indonesia: 7.6%, 95% CI: 6.3-9.1; Vietnam: 5.2%, 95% CI: 4.2-6.3). The odds of experiencing a mental disorder in the past 12 months increased as the number of ACEs increased in all three countries. This was most apparent among those experiencing four or more ACEs, who had the highest odds of any mental disorder in the past 12 months as compared to those reporting no ACEs (Kenya: aOR 4.57, 95% CI: 3.35-6.23; Indonesia: aOR 11.10, 95% CI: 6.24-19. 73; Vietnam: aOR 10.30, 95% CI: 5.96-17.82).

conclusionThe current study demonstrated that ACEs are common among adolescents in Kenya, Indonesia, and Vietnam, and are significantly associated with mental disorders in all three countries. The prevention of ACEs may be a key avenue for reducing the risk of mental disorders in adolescence.

Indexed as

AdolescentsAdverse childhood experiencesIndonesiaKenyaMental disordersVietnam

Identifiers

PMID40739645
PMCPMC12312255

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LicenceCC BY
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.