Introduction

Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) can negatively affect children’s current and future health.

Objectives

To analyze the impact of ACE on the health of 12-month-old infants assessed by a Physical Health and Maternal Care Indicator (ISCM).

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort including 170 infants born in two public services for high-risk births in Brazil. ISCM gathers information that reflects maternal care and the child’s health throughout the first year of life, such as vaccination, nutrition, growth, illnesses, and accidents. The ACE impact on ISCM was analyzed by multiple linear regression, and the d-Cohen test estimated its effect size. Spearman’s correlation was used to analyze the cumulative ACE effect, measured by a score reflecting events such as family dysfunction, maternal mental health, poverty, and exposure to violence.

Results

Most infants were born prematurely (71.7%), had low birth weight (64.7%) and were exposed to three ACEs on average. The ISCM was lower in children exposed to maternal depression (p < 0.001, d-Cohen = 0.08), substance abuse by family members (p = 0.02, d-Cohen = 0.6), and marital conflicts (p = 0.03, d-Cohen = 0.7). The Spearman’s correlation showed that the greater the exposure to ACEs, the lower the ISCM (r = -0.40, p < 0.0001).

Conclusion

Exposure to ACE, especially in the family environment, had negative effect on maternal care and child health. The impact could be detected in the first year of life and had cumulative effect. Our findings indicate the need for a broader approach to child health to minimize ACE’s impacts.