Adverse Childhood Experiences and Health in Rural Areas of Riyadh Province in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Social determinants of anxiety and mood disorders in a nationally-representative sample - Results from the Saudi National Mental Health Survey (SNMHS)

INTRODUCTION

Social determinants of health (SDH) influence and modify the risk for mental health disorders. To our knowledge, no study has explored SDH in the context of mental health in Saudi Arabia (SA) using population-based data. This study investigated the association between several SDH and anxiety and mood disorders in SA.

METHODS

We utilized data from the nationally-representative Saudi National Mental Health Survey (SNMHS) conducted in 2014 to 2016. This study examined associations between personal-level, socioeconomic, physical health, and family environment characteristics and anxiety and mood disorders. Participants were classified as having anxiety-only disorders, mood-only disorders, or comorbidity of both disorders. Multinomial logistic regression models were employed to examine the associations between SDH and anxiety and/or mood disorders, comparing them to participants who had not experienced these disorders.

RESULTS

A total of 4,004 participants were included in this analysis; the lifetime prevalence of disorders was: anxiety only (18%), mood only (3.8%), and comorbidity of both (5.3%). Regression models indicated that females, young adults (26-35 years), individuals with a higher level of education, and those who were separated or widowed had higher odds of experiencing anxiety and/or mood disorders. Furthermore, there was a significant and direct association between having physical chronic conditions and all three categories of anxiety and mood disorders. Experiencing Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) was also associated with a significant risk of developing anxiety and/or mood disorders, with the highest risk associated with physical or sexual abuse, followed by violence and neglect.

CONCLUSION

This study underscores the correlation between several personal-level, socioeconomic, and environmental SDH and anxiety and mood disorders in SA. These findings provide a foundation for future analyses examining the intricate interplay between upstream and downstream SDH in SA. Such research can enhance local scientific knowledge, aid in planning for social services, and inform policy decisions and treatment strategies.

Disruptive behaviors, antisocial attitudes, and aggression in young offenders: Comparison of Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) typologies

BACKGROUND

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) are associated with many deleterious outcomes in young offenders. There is a dearth of studies examining its effects on young offenders' antisocial attitudes, disruptive behaviors and aggression, risk factors for delinquency and reoffending.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined ACE patterns and their association with the above factors in young offenders.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

1130 youth offenders (964 males; M_age = 17.57 years), provided self-reports on ACEs, antisocial attitudes, disruptive behavior ratings and aggression.

METHOD

Latent Class Analysis was performed on 12 self-reported ACEs, followed by Analyses of Covariance on each of the measures.

RESULTS

Four classes - Low ACE, Indirect Victims, Abusive Environment, and Polyvictimized - were identified. Polyvictimized youths had the highest levels of conduct problems (M = 70.35, ps < .05) and proactive aggression (M = 0.45, ps < .05) but did not differ from youths in Abusive Environment in reactive aggression (M = 1.02, p = .69), oppositional problems (M = 65.15, p = .18), and antisocial attitudes (M = 26.95, p = .21). Indirect Victims had lower levels of conduct problems (M = 64.80, p < .05) and antisocial attitudes (M = 24.35, p < .05) than Polyvictimized youths but higher levels of these outcomes than the Low ACE group.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings showed that ACEs patterns vary in their effects on antisociality and disruptive behaviors. The novel finding was that childhood victimization does not have to be direct, as indirect victimization significantly impacted factors important to delinquency and reoffending.

Adverse Childhood Experience as a Risk Factor for Developing Type 2 Diabetes among the Jazan Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), such as childhood abuse, neglect, and family dysfunction, prevent appropriate emotional, behavioral, and physical development. They are also a major public health issue, and have been debatably linked to chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). T2DM is highly prevalent in Saudi Arabia, and various theories have been raised to explain the epidemiology of diabetes. However, few studies have discussed the relationship between ACEs and T2DM. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the association between ACEs and T2DM in Jazan Province, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This observational, cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated questionnaire distributed among patients with T2DM in a diabetes center. The t-test and Chi-Square test were used for comparison, and the p-value was set at <0.05 for significance. Results: A total of 579 participants were involved in this study, and 303 (52.33%) were female. Among the included participants, 45.25% were diagnosed with T2DM. About 28.71% of participants with diabetes experienced verbal abuse, 16.09% experienced physical abuse, and 30.91% reported that parents beat them. Additionally, 1.58% of participants with diabetes reported living with a family member who abused substances, 8.83% believed that no one would take them to the doctor even if essential, 12.62% of participants with diabetes felt that no one would protect them, and 23.03% reported that they felt no one in their family loved them. All reported ACEs were significantly associated with a high risk of T2DM (p < 0.05), and the more frequent the ACEs, the more the risk of T2DM (p = 0.0001). Conclusions: This study indicated that ACEs are significantly associated with the development of T2DM, and the risk increases with the frequency of ACEs, which aligns with other studies. Further national studies are required to understand how ACEs could contribute to T2DM, and preventive interventions in childhood must be considered to reduce the burden of T2DM.