Adverse Childhood Experiences and Social Isolation over the Life Course

Background and Purpose:

In this paper, I take a developmental life-course approach to the problem of social isolation (SI), investigating whether SI in adulthood has roots in childhood circumstances. In particular, I examine whether adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) which include abuse, neglect and economic as well as non-economic household challenges (such as growing up with an alcoholic or incarcerated parent or witnessing domestic violence) predict SI in adulthood. Theories of human development as well as prior empirical research on the enduring socio-emotional consequences of such experiences indicate that survivors are less likely to be able to form secure attachments, have stable partnerships or demonstrate social competence in relationships with family, peers, neighbors and other members of society. I posit that given the potentially isolating consequences of such behaviors, ACEs are likely to be associated with SI throughout the life course.

 

Methods

I test this hypothesis using largescale survey data (N = 33,714) from 7 U.S. states, pooled from the 2009 – 2010 Adverse Childhood Experiences Modules of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. This dataset allows me to use the established ACES score computed using multiple indicators childhood adversities and to measure social isolation as rarely or never receiving the social or emotional support one needs. I employ multiple logistic regression models to control for key demographic and socio-economic characteristics, and estimate marginal effects at each score and at the beginning of each decade over the life course.

Results

Preliminary results show that the odds of being socially isolated increase with the number of ACEs with those experiencing four or more ACEs twice as likely to be socially isolated. While this relationship is observed for all ages, the gap in social isolation between those who experienced ACEs and those who did not, widens systematically over the life-course. Gender also plays an important role with male survivors of ACEs significantly more likely to experience social isolation over the life course.

Conclusions and Implications

The findings confirm the core hypothesis that adverse childhood experiences predict social isolation in adulthood and add to our understanding of the developmental roots of social isolation. They have important implications for addressing social isolation. Firstly, they indicate that interventions –even with older adults –could benefit from taking a life-course approach, including an exploration of childhood adversities. Second, they highlight the importance of directly addressing the socio-emotional deficits and challenges behind social isolation –as opposed to (or in addition to) incorporating lifestyle changes such as volunteering more or increasing contact with peers through a variety of social activities – in order to address the problem of social isolation, particularly among older adults.