Exploring the Co-occurrence and Latent Class Analysis of Adverse Childhood Experiences in University Students in Lahore, Pakistan

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are one of the major public health concerns and act as a predisposing factor leading to numerous chronic health issues. This study aims to determine the prevalence and likelihood of the co-occurrence of different childhood adversities and explore the latent classes in university students in Lahore, Pakistan. An online version of the ACE-IQ was used to collect data from students of randomly selected universities in Lahore with their consent. Descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, Cramer-V, and latent class analysis (LCA) were applied to the collected dataset. All domains had a prevalence of between 30 and 85%, with community/peer violence exposure being the most common (82.9%), followed by physical abuse exposure (65.2%). According to the LCA results, three classes were observed, i.e., Class 1, High/Multiple ACEs; Class 2, Low ACEs; and Class 3, Neglect, Physical Abuse and Violence related ACEs. The percentages of our population in Classes 1, 2, and 3 were 21.38%, 39.26%, and 39.36%, respectively. This study concluded that the prevalence of ACEs is very high in university students in Lahore, with a moderately strong correlation among different adversities, which increases the likelihood of their co-occurrence.