Do Adverse Childhood Experiences Modify the Association Between Disaster-Related Trauma and Cognitive Disability?

Identifying subpopulations that are particularly vulnerable to long-term adverse health consequences of disaster-related trauma is needed. We examined whether adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) potentiate the association between disaster-related trauma and subsequent cognitive disability among older adult disaster survivors. Data were from a prospective cohort study of older adults who survived the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. The baseline survey pre-dated the disaster by 7 months. We included participants who completed follow-up surveys (2013 and 2016) and did not have a cognitive disability before the disaster (n = 602). Disaster-related traumas (i.e., home loss, loss of friends or pets) and ACEs were retrospectively assessed in 2013. Cognitive disability levels in 2016 were objectively assessed. After adjusting for pre-disaster characteristics using a machine learning-based estimation approach, home loss (0.19, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.09, 0.28) was, on average, associated with greater cognitive disability. Among individuals with ACEs, home loss was associated with even higher cognitive disability levels (0.64, 95% CI: 0.24, 1.03). Losses of friends (0.18, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.32) and pets (0.13, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.25) were associated with higher cognitive disability levels only among those with ACEs. Our findings suggest that individuals with a history of ACEs may be particularly vulnerable to adverse health consequences related to disasters.