Adverse Childhood Experience and the Risk of Cardiometabolic Disease: An Umbrella Review

Meer, Doety Anna van der (2025) Adverse Childhood Experience and the Risk of Cardiometabolic Disease: An Umbrella Review. Master thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

Introduction: Cardiometabolic diseases refer to a cluster of cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes. Previous research has examined that life stress, which includes adverse childhood experiences, has been associated with the risk of cardiometabolic disease in adulthood. This umbrella review gave an overview and evaluation of the current literature on the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and the risk of cardiometabolic disease (CMD). Furthermore, possible confounding factors have been examined. Methods: A comprehensive literature search of studies was already conducted in PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Web of Science in April 2024 as part of the overarching review. A qualitative and quantitative summary was developed in a data extraction sheet for the selected studies. Overall review quality and risk of bias were evaluated by the AMSTAR-2. Results: Thirteen studies, including six meta-analyses and ten systematic reviews met the study selection criteria. All overall review associations between ACE and the risk of CMD showed significant results, whereby the strength of the risk varied. The risk factor of metabolic diseases compared with cumulative childhood adversity is the strongest (HR = 1.63, 95% CI [1.16-2.29]). In addition, the two strongest specific types of ACE associated with the risk of coronary heart disease are emotional abuse (RR = 1.48, 95% CI [1.29-1.71]) and physical abuse (RR = 1.48, 95% CI [1.22-1.79]). Most of the specific types of ACE are significantly related to the risk of CMD. However, some types of ACE show non-significant results. In addition, the association seems to be dose-responded, and possible confounding factors might be sex, socioeconomic status, and the presence of a comorbid psychiatric disorder. Conclusion: Despite variations in types and measurements of ACE, as well as the generally low overall quality of the reviews, the association between adverse childhood experience and the risk of cardiometabolic disease seems to be robust. Keywords: adverse childhood experience, cardiometabolic disease, confounding factors, umbrella review

Item Type:	Thesis (Master)
Supervisor name:	Roest, A.M. and Zhao, N. and Jeronimus, B.F.
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	Ontwikkelingspsychologie (O) [Master Psychology]
Date Deposited:	10 Mar 2025 13:06
Last Modified:	10 Mar 2025 13:06
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4755

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