# Adverse childhood experiences and adult stress eating

## TL;DR

This study finds that childhood trauma increases the likelihood of stress eating in adulthood, which may contribute to poor health outcomes.

## Contribution

The study identifies a dose-response relationship between adverse childhood experiences and adult stress eating in a diverse low-income population.

## Key findings

- Individuals with any ACE were 47% more likely to report frequent stress eating as adults.
- The association remained significant after adjusting for depression and emotional well-being.
- A dose-response trend was observed with increasing number of ACEs.

## Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are an indicator of childhood trauma and are associated with worse adult health outcomes. We examined the association of ACEs and adult stress eating in a largely low-income and racially diverse population. Among 32,209 Southern Community Cohort Study participants, we used multivariable-adjusted logistic regression to estimate the association of ACEs with frequent adult stress eating. Individuals with any ACE were almost 50% more likely to report frequent stress eating as an adult compared to those without ACEs (OR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.38, 1.56), and there was a significant dose-response trend with increasing number of ACEs. These associations remained significant after further adjusting for depression and emotional well-being. With the finding that individuals with ACEs are more likely to stress eat during adulthood, and both are implicated in a diverse array of poor health outcomes, further investigation of this association could have translational and therapeutic potential.