Adverse Childhood Experiences, Psychological Distress, and Negative Social Interactions: A Gender-Specific Analysis

Background:

Negative social interactions (NSI) are conceptualized as those actions that an individual perceives as negative or problematic. Previous studies have indicated that NSI have a more potent effect on psychological wellbeing than do positive interactions. Moreover, other literature has found that psychological distress and traumatic experiences are associated with increased negative social interactions. However, very few studies have examined the association between the correlates of NSI using gender-specific analyses or a population-based data. The aim of the current study is to examine the correlates of NSI and compared the differences between genders.

Methods:

A nationally representative dataset, Canadian Community Health Survey 2012, was used for analysis. The total sample size consisted of 25,110 participants, 12,375 males and 12,735 females. Data were weighted based on population weights and sampling units provided by Statistics Canada. Participants who completed the survey answered several health and mental health-related questions and provided socio-demographic information. The outcome variable, NSI, was measured using a reliable and valid standardized scale (Krause 2007). Several correlates were included in the hierarchical multiple regression model such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), psychological distress, and social support. Three hierarchical multiple regression analyses (overall sample, male, and female) were conducted to assess the correlates of NSI, controlling for socio-demographic factors and substance use.

Results:

The majority of participants were: female (50.7%), non-immigrants (74.9%), white (76.9%), married or in common law status (60.1%), and had a post-secondary degree (59.0%). One third of participants had experienced no ACEs, with 21.5% of participants having experienced four or more ACEs. After adjusting for controlled factors, ACEs, social support, and psychological distress accounted for 19.9% of the variance in explaining NSI. Participants who were older (β= 0.07, p<0.0001), had income less than $20,000, experienced physical abuse (β= 0.16, p<0.0001), household substance use (β= 0.13, p<0.0001), witness household violence (β= 0.11, p<0.0001), and had higher psychological distress (β= 0.04, p<0.0001) experienced higher odds of NSI. Correlates accounted for 16.5 % and 23.6% of the variance in explaining NSI among males and females respectively. Immigration status (β= -0.06, p<0.0001) was only associated with NSI among male participants. Social support (β=-0.06, p<0.0001) and psychological distress (β=0.08, p<0.0001) were only associated with NSI among female participants.

Conclusion and implications

Our findings support that psychological distress and traumatic experiences were associated with increased NSI. The results also highlight the importance of preventing NSI, including working to diminish childhood violence exposure and reduce psychological distress. Furthermore, our findings indicate that different genders bear different levels and correlates of NSI. These results have implications for social work practice. Sensitizing social workers with competent case screening for childhood trauma history may help identify those who bear high risk. Additionally, programs and social services that aim to reduce NSI and promote positive social interactions should considering gender differences.