Latent Class Analysis of Adolescents' Adverse Childhood Experiences and Associated Mental Health Outcomes

Open Access
- Author:
- Kirk, Kaitlin
- Area of Honors:
- Psychology
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Michelle Gayle Newman, Thesis Supervisor
Jeff M Love, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Childhood Adversity
Latent Class Analysis
Psychopathology
Childhood Trauma
Depression
PTSD
Mental Health Outcomes - Abstract:
- Childhood adversity is prevalent and associated with adverse mental health outcomes (Brown et al., 2009; Grasso, Dierkhising, Branson, Ford, & Lee, 2016). The person-centered approach of Latent Class Analysis (LCA) can be used to identify co-occurring patterns of childhood adversity and their increased risk for psychopathology (Ford & Delker, 2018; Rivera, Fincham, & Bray, 2018). Previous research studies have found high adversity, moderate adversity, and low adversity classes which are associated with unique psychological outcomes (Bussemakers, Kraaykamp, & Tolsma, 2019; Kim, Kim, Chartier, Wike, & McDonald, 2021; Lee, Kim, & Terry, 2020; Modrowski, Rizzo, Collibee, Houck, & Schneider, 2021; Rebbe, Nurius, Ahrens, & Courtney, 2017). Therefore, this study used LCA with data from the National Survey of Adolescents in the United States (Kilpatrick & Saunders, 1995). Adolescents (N = 4,023) in this study reported on 15 varying forms of adversity and 4 mental health outcomes, including: MDD, PTSD, alcohol use, and delinquency. The results indicated that the four-class solution was the best model. The following latent classes were found: Class 1: High Adversity, Class 2: Moderate Adversity – Physical Danger, Class 3: Moderate Adversity – Family Dysfunction, and Class 4: Low Adversity. Adolescents belonging to the High Adversity Class had increased risk for MDD, PTSD, alcohol use, and delinquent behaviors. Additionally, adolescents belonging to the Physical Danger Class had increased risk for MDD, PTSD, alcohol use, and delinquent behavior. Adolescents belonging to the Family Dysfunction Class had increased risk for delinquent behavior. Therefore, prevention efforts should focus on developing targeted interventions for adolescents based on class membership.