As the Twig is Bent so the Tree is Inclined? Exploring the Associations of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adult Relational Impairments in Ghana

Abstract

Studies on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which have been conducted predominantly with samples from Western cultures have found ACEs to be associated with poor health outcomes and relational impairments in adulthood. This study sought to contribute to the ACEs literature by investigating the long-term consequences of ACEs on the interpersonal functioning of adult survivors in Ghana, a non-Western culture. In the current study, the associations of five ACEs (high parental conflict, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect) with four types of relational impairments (alienation, insecure attachment, egocentricity, and social incompetence) were examined using a community sample of 403 adults who retrospectively provided self-reports of ACEs. The most frequently reported ACE in this sample was high parental conflict, while sexual abuse was the least frequently reported ACE. Participants with ACE histories had significantly more relational impairments than those with no ACE histories, however multiple regression analyses revealed no significant relational impairments in adulthood following any ACE experience, whether alone or in any combination, suggesting that cultural values such as collectivism and religiosity may play a protective role against ACEs negative effects in the interpersonal domain. The study’s limitations, and the implications of these findings for the Ghanaian and other similar contexts are discussed.