Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are concerning exposures that may have detrimental effects on mental health. Much of the prior evidence on ACEs comes from the U.S and western developed countries. In light of the limited knowledge of ACEs in other social contexts and the interconnection among adversities, this study aims to identify distinct patterns of co-occurring ACEs and examines the associations between those adversities and mental health in South Korea. We used data from a national sample of Korean college students recruited via non-probability quota sampling in 2019 ( N = 1037). The dependent variables included three measures of mental health assessed by the Brief Symptom Inventory depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and somatization symptoms. The independent variable was the patterns of ACEs identified using 14 indicators of childhood adversity. We conducted a Latent Class Analysis with a distal outcome, using the Bolck, Croons, and Hagenaars method. The analysis found four patterns of ACEs: extreme adversity (8%) , family violence (20.3%) , economic adversity (10.4%), and low adversity (61.3%). The extreme adversity group exhibited multiple exposures, including interpersonal violence in home environments, economic hardship, and bullying victimization by peers. The results suggest that the extreme adversity and family violence groups showed significantly worse mental health symptoms than the economic adversity and low adversity groups. Also, the extreme adversity group reported significantly higher levels of depression symptoms and somatization symptoms than the family violence group. This study expands the current understanding of ACEs and their harmful effects on mental health in young adulthood specific to Korea while comparing them with other social contexts. Researchers and practitioners should recognize the co-occurrence of child adversities, rather than overestimating sole adversity, to develop effective strategies for promoting mental health.

This study examines the relationship between patterns of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and suicidal behaviors. It investigates the role of depressive symptoms as an underlying mechanism between patterns of ACEs and suicidal behaviors in South Korea. Data came from the 2012 Korean General Social Survey (KGSS), a nationally representative sample in South Korea ( N = 1,048). The dependent variables included two suicidal behaviors: suicidal thoughts and a suicide plan or attempt. The independent variable was the patterns of ACEs identified using ten binary indicators of childhood adversity. The mediating variable of depressive symptoms was measured using the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Covariates were also included to control for socio-demographic characteristics: age, gender, education, and household income. This study conducted a latent class analysis (LCA) to classify different patterns of ACEs and then employed path analysis to examine mediating effects of depressive symptoms in the relationship between ACEs and suicidal behavior. Among the results, three latent classes of ACEs were identified— child maltreatment, child maltreatment and family dysfunction, and low ACEs. The child maltreatment and child maltreatment and family dysfunction classes were more likely to have suicidal thoughts and to plan or attempt suicide compared to the low ACEs class. Path analysis also showed significant indirect pathways from ACEs exposure to suicidal behaviors through depressive symptoms. This evidence corroborates previous research that shows family dysfunction and child maltreatment as detrimental factors leading to depressive symptoms and suicidal behaviors. Practitioners and policy-makers should therefore consider childhood life experiences when assessing suicidal behaviors in health prevention and intervention strategies.

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This study examined the sequential mediating roles of anxiety and depressive symptoms in the effect of school bullying victimization on suicidal ideation. This study utilized a convenience sample of college students across South Korea, and an online survey was conducted. This quantitative research analyzed data collected from 1037 participants. The sample consisted of an equal gender distribution, with a mean age of 23.65 years (range: 18–30). Additionally, 30% of participants reported a household income of four million won or less (approximately USD $3076). More than half of the participants’ parents had attained a college education or higher. Also, multiple mediation analyses were conducted to examine whether anxiety and depressive symptoms mediated the relationship between school bullying victimization and suicidal ideation. In the results, multiple mediation analyses showed that school bullying victimization does not have a direct effect on suicidal ideation. On the other hand, school bullying victimization has an indirect effect on suicidal ideation through anxiety and depressive symptoms, controlling for covariates. Based on these research results, implications for school bullying prevention and intervention were discussed.

This study aimed to investigate a process accounting for the socioeconomic inequality in depressive symptoms from generation to generation. To examine the process, this study utilized data from three generations of grandparents, mothers, and daughters. This study employed data from the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women and Families, collected from a large-scale national representative sample in South Korea. Conducting pathway analysis, the study tested direct and indirect pathways between mother’s socioeconomic status (SES) experienced in childhood and their offspring’s depressive symptoms through maternal SES and depressive symptoms in adulthood. This study found that early economic hardship increased the risk of depressive symptoms in daughters through maternal low education and depressive symptoms (β = 0.03, p < 0.05), which was consistent with the theoretical framework, which relied on a life-course model highlighting that early life experiences affect later adult health and can potentially have effects across generations. This finding suggests that interventions that work with maternal education and depression may benefit from efforts to break the likelihood of continuity of depressive symptoms into the next generation, especially for their own daughters.