What this means
Adults who had certain hard childhoods were more likely to follow a poorer aging path over eight years. Low schooling was an even stronger link, and this study only shows association, not cause.
Plain-English summary written by an AI model from the abstract. The original is below.
- Who it was tested in
- 3,092 older adults in China, followed over eight years
- Kind of research
- A study
The science
- Original title
- Association of adverse childhood experiences patterns with successful aging trajectories: a prospective cohort study.
- Authors
- Yang K, Yang X, Fan H et al.
- Journal
- BMC geriatrics
- Published
- Oct 21, 2026
- Study type
- Study · in humans
- PMID
- 42902202 ↗
Abstract
Background
The long-term influence of distinct adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) patterns on heterogeneous trajectories of successful aging (SA) remains unclear.
What they did
Using 2011-2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study data from 3,092 community-dwelling older adults (aged ≥ 60), latent class analysis identified four distinct ACE patterns from 13 binary indicators based on exposure probabilities, clinical significance, and prior literature. SA was evaluated across five domains: absence of chronic disease, no disability, high cognition, no depressive symptoms, and active social engagement. As SA represents a heterogeneous outcome dynamically evolving over time during aging, group-based trajectory modeling mapped its eight-year trajectories, which were linked to baseline latent ACE classes via logistic regression. Finally, network analysis using the graphical lasso algorithm compared network structure, global strength, edge weights, and node centrality of SA domains between trajectory groups to investigate interaction patterns.
What they found
We identified four ACEs patterns (Low Adversity, 54.2%; Maltreatment, 21.7%; Household Dysfunction, 20.0%; Pervasive Adversity, 4.1%) and two successful aging trajectories (Sustained High-Decline, 22%; Chronically Low-Stable, 78%). Compared to the Low Adversity pattern, the Pervasive Adversity [OR = 1.97, 95% CI (1.10, 3.83)] and Household Dysfunction [OR = 1.36, 95% CI (1.07, 1.74)] patterns were associated with the adverse Chronically Low-Stable trajectory, whereas the Maltreatment pattern showed no significant longitudinal association. Low educational attainment was the strongest predictor of this adverse trajectory [OR = 5.23, 95% CI (3.84, 7.13)]. Network analysis indicated differences in overall network structure between trajectory groups (p = 0.037) but not in global strength. Specifically, compared to Sustained High-Decline, the Chronically Low-Stable group exhibited a more rigid network with a stronger Cognition-Chronic Disease edge weight (p < 0.001) but lower Cognition centrality (p < 0.001). Culturally specific early-life adversity patterns, particularly household dysfunction and pervasive adversity, predict adverse successful aging trajectories. These childhood patterns are associated with a more rigid late-life mind-body network characterized by tight pathological coupling between cognition and physical illness. Importantly, broader structural inequalities across the life course, particularly low educational attainment and rural residence, operate alongside early-life trauma as dominant predictors of adverse aging trajectories, highlighting the need for systemic, policy-level interventions.
The authors' abstract, grouped under plain headings from its own section labels.
Yang K, Yang X, Fan H et al. Association of adverse childhood experiences patterns with successful aging trajectories: a prospective cohort study. BMC geriatrics. 2026. doi:10.1186/s12877-026-08034-0. PMID: 42902202. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42902202/
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