Your new experience awaits. Try the new design now and help us make it even better

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Aging

Sec. Healthy Longevity

Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fragi.2025.1657525

Adverse childhood experiences and chronic pain in adults aged 86: findings from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

Provisionally accepted
Dhaneesha  SenaratneDhaneesha Senaratne1Sam  SingletonSam Singleton1Kate  TimminsKate Timmins2Jeanette  SpiteriJeanette Spiteri1Paul  RedmondPaul Redmond3Adele  TaylorAdele Taylor3Janie  CorleyJanie Corley3Danielle  PageDanielle Page3Janine  RennieJanine Rennie1Huan  WangHuan Wang1Madeleine  VerriotisMadeleine Verriotis4Suellen  WalkerSuellen Walker4Debajit  SenDebajit Sen4Gary  J MacfarlaneGary J Macfarlane2Lesley  A ColvinLesley A Colvin1Line  CaesLine Caes5Simon  R CoxSimon R Cox3Tim  HalesTim Hales1*
  • 1School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
  • 2University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
  • 3The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
  • 4University College London, London, United Kingdom
  • 5University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background: Chronic pain, a major cause of disability, is prevalent in older people. Exposure to multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is associated with increased levels of chronic pain in later life. However, this association has not been investigated in people aged older than 80 years. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to explore the relationship between ACEs and chronic pain in people with a mean age of 86 years, participants of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936. Methods: A survey co-developed by researchers, clinicians and people with lived experience (PWLE) that assessed chronic pain and ACEs was completed by 229 participants (response rate 67%). Associations between ACE exposure and chronic pain were investigated using multinomial logistic regression. Results: Results showed that 58% reported chronic pain, with a higher prevalence in females. Furthermore, 69% of participants with chronic pain reported moderate or severe pain interference and 82% reported at least 1 ACE, with 25% indicating exposure to ≥4 ACEs. The most frequently reported exposure was community violence (48%). Males were more likely to report any ACE, physical neglect, bullying, and community violence. No significant association was found between ACEs and chronic pain status, severity, or interference in this cohort. Discussion: This study, the first to adapt ACE and chronic pain questionnaires with input from PWLE, suggests that the relationship between ACEs and chronic pain may be less relevant in people in their eighties compared to younger populations. These findings have implications for trauma-informed care and pharmacological treatment in older adults.

Keywords: Chronic Pain, Childhood Adversity, Trauma-informed care, oldest adults, biopsychosocial model

Received: 01 Jul 2025; Accepted: 02 Oct 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Senaratne, Singleton, Timmins, Spiteri, Redmond, Taylor, Corley, Page, Rennie, Wang, Verriotis, Walker, Sen, Macfarlane, Colvin, Caes, Cox and Hales. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Tim Hales, t.g.hales@dundee.ac.uk

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.