Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events that cause a condition of chronic stress in the body and that are related to subsequent cognitive decline and the development of psychiatric disorders and chronic diseases.

The objective of the present study was to examine the relationship between ACEs, stress, and chronic diseases in older adults.

This work was a cross-sectional study. We analyzed 450 participants aged 65 and older. To measure ACE, we used the ACE questionnaire that is a 10-item scale to measure the occurrence of a set of experiences during childhood and adolescence. In addition, the perceived stress scale (PSS) was used as screening tool for stress. Logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between overall ACE score and individual ACE component scores and risk stress/comorbidities in adulthood after controlling for potential confounders.

The overall prevalence of perceived stress among older adults was 79.1%. Almost 76% of the sample reported being diagnosed with four or more chronic diseases. We found that the risk of stress increased in case of exposure to one-three ACEs (OR = 1.42, CI = [1.19–1.93]) and in case of experiencing at least four or more ACEs (OR = 1.43, CI = [1.23–1.82]). There was a statistical non-significant association between ACE exposure and the presence of chronic diseases.

Together our findings demonstrate clear links between ACEs and negative mental health outcomes. Future work will assess these issues in longitudinal studies to examine the long-term impact of ACEs on health outcomes. Physicians should be able to provide clinical interventions for trauma-focused care.