Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41437003›Full record

Observational studyBMC public health2025

Exposure frequencies of single adverse childhood experiences and their association with psychological distress: evidence from a cohort study among emerging Swiss adults.

Simon Marmet, Salome I R Bötschi, Neela Vetsch, Lina Stallmann, Jeannette Brodbeck

Registry-linked trialAbstract readObservational Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05122988 (Facing Adverse Childhood Experiences Using New Technologies), which is not on this map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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.

NCT05122988 completednot on this map

Facing Adverse Childhood Experiences Using New Technologies

TypeobservationalSponsorUniversity of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern SwitzerlandRan2021 to 2024Enrolled2,606ConditionsAdverse Childhood Experiences
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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

5 authors.

Simon MarmetSchool of Social Work, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Riggenbachstrasse 16, Olten, 4600, Switzerland. simon.k.marmet@gmail.com.
Salome I R BötschiSchool of Social Work, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Riggenbachstrasse 16, Olten, 4600, Switzerland.
Neela VetschSchool of Social Work, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Riggenbachstrasse 16, Olten, 4600, Switzerland.
Lina StallmannSchool of Social Work, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Riggenbachstrasse 16, Olten, 4600, Switzerland.
Jeannette BrodbeckSchool of Social Work, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Riggenbachstrasse 16, Olten, 4600, Switzerland. jeannette.brodbeck@fhnw.ch.

Funding

Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung SNF 100010_197731
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAdverse childhood experiences (ACE) are significant transdiagnostic risk factors for impaired psychosocial functioning throughout life. Most research on ACE has relied on composite scores, limiting conclusions about specific adverse experiences. The aim of the present study was to describe in detail the exposure frequencies of a wide range of single adverse experiences (SACEs) and investigate their association with psychological distress among emerging adults at the individual and the population levels.

methodsA total of 2528 emerging Swiss adults aged 18 to 22 years from a random population sample participated in the first wave of a cohort study. ACE measures included 39 specific experiences covering neglect (emotional, physical), abuse (emotional, physical, sexual), witnessing violence, peer maltreatment and parental psychopathology. ANOVA models estimated bivariate associations between SACE exposure frequencies and psychological distress.

resultsThe most frequently reported child maltreatment subtypes were emotional neglect and abuse (38.4% resp. 30.8%). Regarding SACEs, more than 75% reported “witnessing the parents arguing fiercely” and verbal maltreatment by peers. SACEs were strongly associated with psychological distress in emerging adulthood, though the strength varied by type and frequency of exposure. Physical and sexual abuse experiences were strongly associated with psychological distress even when experienced only rarely. In contrast, SACEs in the domains of emotional abuse, emotional neglect and verbal abuse by peers correlated with psychological distress primarily at higher exposure frequencies. At the population level, frequently occurring SACEs, such as verbal abuse by family, explained the largest proportion of variance in psychological distress.

conclusionsThe impact of adverse childhood experiences on psychological distress among emerging adults depends on the type of SACE and their exposure frequency. These findings highlight the importance of analyzing single adversities and their frequencies alongside dimensional and pattern-based approaches in ACE research.

trial registrationNCT05122988; November 17, 2021.

Indexed as

Adverse Childhood ExperiencesPsychological DistressStress, PsychologicalAdolescentChild AbuseCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMaleRisk FactorsSwitzerlandYoung AdultAdverse childhood experiencesEmerging adulthoodPeer maltreatmentPrevalencePsychological distressSingle adversity approach

Identifiers

PMID41437003
PMCPMC12874928

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Registered trials

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.