Adverse Childhood Experiences and Mood Disorders: A Data of Lithuanian Clinical Sample

Background and Objectives: Research from recent decades provides strong evidence of an association between childhood adversity and later mental illness in adulthood. The current study analyzed the frequency and intensity of exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in a clinical sample of patients with mood disorders. Effect sizes for each ACE were also evaluated for the onset of depressive disorders (DD) and bipolar disorder (BD). Materials and Methods: A study enrolled total of 147 patients admitted to the Psychiatry Department with diagnoses of DD or BD between October 2018 and December 2019. The control group comprised 156 healthy volunteers. Psychiatric diagnoses were assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), version 6.0. Adverse childhood experiences were assessed using a self-administered Adverse Childhood Experiences - International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ). Results: Results indicated that patients with mood disorders had significantly more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) compared to controls. The occurrence of high ACEs exposure (≥4 ACEs) was also notably greater among these patients. Higher cumulative ACEs scores correlated with increased likelihoods of depressive disorders (DD) and bipolar disorder (BD). Factors such as emotional and physical neglect, sexual abuse, household mental illness, having an incarcerated household member, collective violence, parental separation or death significantly raised the odds of DD. Similarly, household mental illness, emotional neglect, parental separation or death, and household substance abuse, collective violence significantly elevated the odds for BD. Multivariate binary logistic regression identified emotional neglect and household mental illness as independent predictors of DD and BD. Conclusions: Our results highlight a significant association between adverse childhood experiences and mood disorders. Early recognition of adversity in childhood and adolescence, and appropriate interventions, must play an important role in the prevention of mood disorders.