Adverse Childhood Experiences and Depressive Disorder: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Case–Control Study from North India
Abstract
Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are increasingly recognized as important determinants of adult mental health. Evidence suggests that childhood adversity is associated with depression; however, studies exploring cumulative ACEs in the Indian context remain limited.
Objective: To examine the association between adverse childhood experiences and depressive disorder and explore their relationship with depression severity.
Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional case–control study was conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital. Fifty patients diagnosed with depressive disorder according to ICD-11 Diagnostic Criteria for Research (DCR) and 50 healthy controls were recruited using purposive sampling. Controls were screened using the Self Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20), with scores less than 8 considered eligible. The Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) was administered to both groups, while depression severity among cases was assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). Statistical analyses included chi-square test, Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney U test, Spearman correlation, and Kruskal–Wallis test.
Results: Cases demonstrated significantly higher ACE frequency total scores than controls ACE frequency related to parental abuse was significantly higher among cases, demonstrating a moderate-to-large effect size. Although ACE scores showed a positive trend with increasing depression severity, no statistically significant association was observed between cumulative ACE scores and HDRS severity.
Conclusion: Adverse childhood experiences, particularly parental abuse, were significantly associated with depressive disorder in adulthood. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating trauma-informed assessment into psychiatric care and underscore the need for preventive strategies addressing childhood adversity.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2581.5822.202602
How to cite this article:
Katyal A, Garg B, Kataria D, Prasad S. Adverse Childhood Experiences and Depressive Disorder: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Case–Control Study from North India. J Adv Res Psychol Psychother. 2026; 9(1&2): 1-5.
References
India. Planning Commission. Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017): Three Volume Set. SAGE Publications Pvt. Limited; 2013 Nov 8.
Government of India. Census tables [Internet]. Available from: https://censusindia.gov.in/census.website/data/ census-tables
World Health Organization. Adverse childhood experiences international questionnaire (ACE-IQ) [Internet]. 2018 Mar 25.
World Health Organization. Global status report on preventing violence against children 2020.
Felitti VJ, Anda RF, Nordenberg D, Williamson DF, Spitz AM, Edwards V, Marks JS. Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American journal of preventive medicine. 1998 May 1;14(4):245-58.
