Abu Dhabi convenience-sample study links childhood adversity to distinct adult health profiles

A person-centred analysis of 922 adults in an Abu Dhabi convenience sample found that retrospectively reported adverse childhood experiences were most consistently associated with an adult profile combining mental health conditions and multiple burdens. The study, summarized in the abstract of a BMC Public Health article, identified four profiles: Low burden, Substance/prescription vulnerability, Cardiometabolic burden, and Mental health and multi-burden. Their modal-assignment proportions were 57.1%, 15.9%, 11.5%, and 15.5%, respectively.

Of the 922 adults, 918 contributed to latent class analysis based on 18 indicators covering physical conditions, mental health conditions, and behavioural risks. Adverse childhood experiences were represented in two ways: a standardised version of an archived 13-domain count and three re-estimated adversity classes. For the count measure, unobserved domains were treated as unendorsed when at least one domain had been observed; otherwise, the count was treated as missing. Multinomial models used 200 pseudo-class draws to propagate uncertainty in adult-profile assignments, while the adversity-class models also propagated uncertainty in the adversity classifications. The abstract reports both unadjusted and age-, gender-, and nationality-adjusted relative risk ratios.

Each one-standard-deviation increase in the childhood-adversity count had its strongest association with membership in the Mental health and multi-burden profile rather than the Low burden profile. The unadjusted relative risk ratio was 2.94 (95% confidence interval, 2.38–3.63), and the adjusted estimate was 2.86 (2.30–3.55). Smaller adjusted associations were reported for Substance/prescription vulnerability, at 1.51 (1.15–2.00), and Cardiometabolic burden, at 1.39 (1.03–1.86); the corresponding unadjusted confidence intervals included 1, making these smaller associations sensitive to model specification.

In the adversity-class models, Household/interpersonal adversity was associated with the Mental health and multi-burden profile relative to Low adversity, with an adjusted relative risk ratio of 7.21 (4.12–12.60). Polyvictimisation/high violence was associated with Mental health and multi-burden at 21.31 (8.74–51.95) and Cardiometabolic burden at 3.92 (1.21–12.72), although the abstract notes that these estimates were imprecise. The findings show associations in a convenience sample and do not establish that childhood adversity caused profile membership. The reliance on retrospective reports, the sample setting and the imprecision of some class-based estimates limit how broadly the results can be generalised or interpreted.

Subject of Research: Associations between retrospectively reported childhood adversity and adult health and behavioural-risk profiles in an Abu Dhabi convenience sample

Article Title: Patterns of adversity, patterns of burden: a person-centred analysis of adult health and behavioural-risk profiles in Abu Dhabi

Article References: Murphy, A., Horen, N., Long, T., Edgemon, T. G., Elbarazi, I., England, D., & Arafat, C. (2026). Patterns of adversity, patterns of burden: a person-centred analysis of adult health and behavioural-risk profiles in Abu Dhabi. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-29611-3

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-026-29611-3

Keywords: adverse childhood experiences, Abu Dhabi, adult health profiles, latent class analysis, mental health, behavioural risks, cardiometabolic burden, health inequality, retrospective reporting, BMC Public Health, Patterns, adversity