Adverse Childhood Experiences Promote Increased and Selective Caregiving in Adulthood

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) prompt parentification, which is related to providing regular caregiving as adults. This study examines the association between the number and types of ACEs and caregiving as adults, and to whom caregiving is extended. Analyses were based on 91,193 adults from 13 states in the U.S. in 2020-2024 and involved binomial and multinomial logistic regression, adjusted for selected covariates. Approximately 21% of participants provided regular care and 66% had ≥1 ACEs. Each of 11 ACEs considered was positively associated with providing regular care. As the number of ACEs increased, the odds of providing regular care increased. The strongest ACE predictor of providing regular care was living with a parent or adult who was depressed, mentally ill, or suicidal, and the weakest was when the parents were divorced, separated, or an unmarried couple. As the number of ACEs increased, providing regular care for a parent significantly decreased, whereas providing regular care for a friend/nonrelative significantly increased. Among those receiving regular care, if the caregiver had more ACEs versus less, they were significantly less likely to care for a parent or grandparent but more likely to care for a spouse, child, friend or non-relative.