Original article: doi.org/10.3389/fragi.2025.1657525
This research looked at how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are related to chronic pain in a group of older adults.
ACEs are difficult or stressful things that occur during childhood. They include abuse, neglect, problems in the household (such as domestic violence), or problems in the community (such as bullying). ACEs are common: almost half of adults in the UK report having at least one such
experience.
Chronic pain is any pain lasting longer than 3 months. It is common in older adults and can greatly affect quality of life, mobility, sleep, and mental wellbeing. Past research shows that people with ACEs are more likely to develop chronic pain as adults. However, most of this research has focused on people aged 18 to 65 years. There are no studies focusing on older adults, especially those aged over 80 years.
To explore this, the researchers studied members of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. This is a long-term study of people born in 1936 who have been followed up for many years. Participants filled out a questionnaire about ACEs and chronic pain.
229 participants completed the questionnaire. Chronic pain was common, affecting nearly 6 in 10 people. Most participants reported at least one ACE. Around a quarter reported 4 or more ACEs. However, there was no clear link between ACEs and chronic pain in this study.
These results are different to those from studies involving younger people. The researchers suggested a few possible explanations. It might be that people most affected by ACEs are less likely to survive into old age. Alternatively, it might be that the influence of ACEs weakens over
time. Future research should test how the impact of ACEs might change across a lifetime.