Relationship between adverse childhood experiences and motoric cognitive risk in Chinese older adults: A nationwide study

Background With the rapid advancement of aging, cognitive impairment has become an important factor contributing to the increase in medical costs for older adults. Motor Cognitive Risk (MCR) is a pre-dementia syndrome. Early identification and intervention of MCR’s risk factors may reduce the incidence of dementia. However, previous studies mainly focused on the contemporaneous risk factors of MCR and paid less attention to the long-term impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on health outcomes in later life. Thus, this study assesses the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and motoric cognitive risk (MCR) among Chinese older adults. Methods We adopted data from the 2014 Life History Survey and the 2015 follow-up wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The study excluded participants who were under the age of 60 and had dementia and mobility impairments. ACEs were evaluated by three dimensions and 8 items. MCR was assessed by two single-item questions. Logistic regression was used to estimate the relationship between ACEs and MCR. Results The final sample included 4,937 older adults. After adjusting for covariates, childhood neglect was related with increased risk of MCR (OR = 1.382, 95% CI: 1.099–1.738). Each additional ACEs were linked to a 16.5% increased risk of MCR (OR = 1.165, 95% CI: 1.038–1.307). In addition, participants who reported three or more ACEs showed higher risk of MCR than those with no ACEs (OR = 2.050, 95% CI: 1.136–3.699). Conclusion These findings suggest that childhood neglect and exposure to multiple ACEs increased the risk of MCR in old age. The results highlight the long-term effects of early adversity on cognitive and motor health of older adults, which underscore the important of early ACEs screening and interventions across the lifespan.