Table 2.
ACE by lifetime experience of homelessness (ever been homeless for ≥1 months vs. not) in 6649 ELSA participants.
| Never homeless for ≥1 months |
Ever homeless for ≥1 months |
P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N (%)a | N (%)a | ||
| Ever experienced severe financial hardship at age ≤16 years | ≤0.001 | ||
| No/Other incl. missing | 5120 (78·3) | 59 (55·1) | |
| Yes | 133 (2·0) | 4 (3·7) | |
| Yes, but respondent did not report the age that this happened | 213 (3·3) | 14 (13·1) | |
| Missingb | 1076 (16·4) | 30 (28·1) | |
| Parents unemployed for >6 months when participant aged <16 years | 0.70 | ||
| No | 5086 (77·7) | 71 (66·4) | |
| Yes | 364 (5·6) | 6 (5·6) | |
| Missing or did not complete the childhood experiences questionnaireb | 1092 (16·7) | 30 (28·0) | |
| Childhood life circumstancesc | ≤0.001 | ||
| Lived most of childhood with both natural parents | 5617 (85·9) | 75 (70·1) | |
| Lived most of childhood with natural mother and stepfather | 93 (1·4) | 1 (0·9) | |
| Lived most of childhood with natural father and stepmother | 25 (0·4) | 1 (0·9) | |
| Lived most of childhood with single natural mother | 356 (5·4) | 10 (9·4) | |
| Lived most of childhood with single natural father | 62 (1·0) | 1 (0·9) | |
| Lived most of childhood with grandparents or other | 197 (3·0) | 3 (2·8) | |
| Ever lived in residential care or with foster parents in childhood | 192 (2·9) | 16 (15·0) | |
| Age stopped living with parents/guardians to live on one's own or establish one's own home | ≤0.001 | ||
| >20 years | 3961 (60·5) | 41 (38·3) | |
| 19–20 years | 1258 (19·2) | 25 (23·4) | |
| 18-17 years | 947 (14·5) | 25 (23·4) | |
| 15–16 years | 240 (3·7) | 10 (9·3) | |
| <15 years | 46 (0·7) | 4 (3·7) | |
| Missingb | 90 (1·4) | 2 (1·9) | |
| Separated from mother for ≥6 months at age ≤16 years | ≤0.001 | ||
| No | 5608 (85·7) | 71 (66·4) | |
| Yes | 934 (14·3) | 36 (33·6) | |
| Ever been a victim of serious physical attack/assault at age ≤16 years | ≤0.001 | ||
| No | 5364 (82·0) | 69 (64·5) | |
| Yes, at age ≤16 years | 82 (1·3) | 7 (6·5) | |
| Yes, but respondent did not report the age that this happened | 42 (0·6) | 3 (2·8) | |
| Missing or did not complete the childhood experiences questionnaireb | 1054 (16·1) | 28 (26·2) | |
| Ever been a victim of sexual assault at age ≤16 years | ≤0.001 | ||
| No | 5236 (80·0) | 68 (63·6) | |
| Yes, at age ≤16 years | 221 (3·4) | 7 (6·5) | |
| Yes, but respondent did not report the age that this happened | 33 (0·5) | 4 (3·7) | |
| Missing or did not complete the childhood experiences questionnaireb | 1052 (16·1) | 28 (26·2) | |
| Parents had substance abuse or mental health problem(s) when participant aged <16 years | ≤0.001 | ||
| No | 5145 (78·7) | 65 (60·7) | |
| Yes | 336 (5·1) | 12 (11·2) | |
| Missing or did not complete the childhood experiences questionnaireb | 1061 (16·2) | 30 (28·1) | |
| Parents physically abused the participant at age <16 years | ≤0.001 | ||
| No | 5293 (80·9) | 69 (65·5) | |
| Yes | 196 (3·0) | 10 (9·3) | |
| Missing or did not complete the childhood experiences questionnaireb | 1053 (16·1) | 28 (26·2) | |
| Parents argued or fight very often when participant aged<16 years | 0.036 | ||
| No | 4314 (65·9) | 53 (49·5) | |
| Yes | 1111 (17·0) | 23 (21·5) | |
| Missing or did not complete the childhood experiences questionnaireb | 1117 (17·1) | 31 (29·0) | |
| No. of adverse childhood experiences at age (range:0–9) | ≤0.001 | ||
| 0 | 3834 (58·6) | 34 (31·8) | |
| 1 | 1783 (27·2) | 28 (26·2) | |
| 2 | 623 (9·5) | 28 (26·2) | |
| 3 | 224 (3·4) | 12 (11·2) | |
| ≥4 | 78 (1·1) | 5 (4·6) |
ELSA, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing; ACE, adverse childhood experiences.
a
Unless otherwise stated, this denotes the number of participants in each category (with the respective percent in brackets).
b
The missing category was not used in the calculation of the P value.
c
The childhood life circumstances categories were exclusive; participants can be in only one of these categories.