Latent Classes of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Psychosocial Functioning With Emerging Adults

ABSTRACT

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with long‐term mental, physical, and psychosocial difficulties, yet little research has examined how patterns of ACE exposure relate to developmental experiences during emerging adulthood. The present study used latent class analysis (LCA) to identify classes of ACEs among emerging adults ( N = 420) to examine differences across the features of emerging adulthood, psychological functioning, quality‐of‐life indicators, and demographic characteristics. Three distinct ACE classes were identified: low ACE exposure, emotional adversity ACE, and high ACE exposure. Significant differences were found across classes for quality‐of‐life domains, life satisfaction, ego‐resiliency, and meaning in life. Individuals with high ACE exposure reported the poorest outcomes. In contrast, no significant differences were observed across ACEs classes for the features of emerging adulthood. Findings suggest that ACE exposures were not related to whether emerging adults' developmental experiences occurred but were related to the quality with which they were experienced.