Patterns of Adverse Childhood Experiences from a Longitudinal South African Community Sample: A Latent Class Analysis.

ABSTRACT: South African children have a high risk of experiencing multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) compared to children living in high-income countries. In a low- and middle-income context with high levels of deprivation and crime, we should consider expanded ACEs (ACE-E) that are contextually sensitive, alongside conventional ACEs (ACEs-C). Latent class analysis was used to explore patterns of 14 ACEs measured in a sample of 3,401 South African adolescents (56.42% girls). Data were collected in 2010/2011 and 2011/2012. We assessed the association between class membership and demographic covariates of poverty, location (rural vs. urban), gender, age, and province. 5 classes emerged based on model fit indices and theory: "Low ACEs," "High Parental AIDS-Affectedness and Parental Death," "

SUBMITTER: Thurston C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12644135 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature