Exposure to Any Adverse Childhood Experience Tied to Later Pain Disorders

FRIDAY, Dec. 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The risk for reporting chronic painful disorders rises with increasing numbers of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), according to a review published online Dec. 18 in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology.

André Bussières, Ph.D., from McGill University in Montreal, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to examine associations between exposure to ACEs and chronic pain and pain-related disability in adults.

Based on 85 included studies (826,452 adults), the researchers found that the likelihood of reporting chronic pain in adulthood was significantly higher among individuals exposed to a direct ACE (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.45). Both chronic pain (aOR, 1.50) and pain-related disability (aOR, 1.46) during adulthood were significantly more likely among individuals reporting childhood physical abuse. There was a dose-response relationship with the risk for chronic pain in adulthood significantly increasing from one ACE (aOR, 1.29) to four or more ACEs (aOR, 1.95). Study quality was generally good or fair.

"These results are extremely concerning, particularly as over 1 billion children -- half of the global child population -- are exposed to ACEs each year, putting them at increased risk of chronic pain and disability later in life," Bussières said in a statement. "There is an urgent need to develop targeted interventions and support systems to break the cycle of adversity and improve long-term health outcomes for those individuals who have been exposed to childhood trauma."

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