ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1598440
This article is part of the Research TopicHealth Promotion Through The Life Stages: from Newborn to the ElderlyView all 3 articles
Exploring the Mediating Factors Linking Adverse Childhood Experiences to Traditional Chinese Quality of Life among Older Adults: A Multi-Factorial Analysis
Provisionally accepted
Mingjun Sun1
Na Zhang2Yuxin Zhang1Wurong Chang1Haolin Cao3Qiang Zhou1Limin Li1Zijian Tang4Yulu Zhou1Huiwen Li1
Yisong Yao5*Junxiao Si1*- 1North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan Province, China
- 2Department of Nursing, School of Medicine, Xian Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
- 3Nanchong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchong, Anhui Province, China
- 4Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Region, China
- 5Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
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The global population is aging rapidly, making the facilitation of positive aging a pivotal issue that necessitates immediate global attention. This study investigates the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the Chinese medicine quality of life (CMQL) in older adults, guided by life course theory and a traditional Chinese medicine perspective.Methods: A total of 1,119 elderly individuals were included in this study. Logistic regression and propensity score matching (PSM) were used to explore the relationship between ACEs and CMQL.Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the mediating roles of balance constitution, chronic disease, and perceived social support in the relationship between ACEs and CMQL.Results: There was a significant negative association between ACEs and CMQL among older adults. Individuals with ACEs displayed compromised balance constitution, a higher prevalence of chronic diseases, and a lower level of CMQL. High levels of perceived social support were identified as a protective factor, effectively mitigating the adverse effects of ACEs on CMQL among elderly individuals.Conclusions: While the study uncovered a significant negative correlation between ACEs and CMQL in older adults, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of drawing causal relationships from cross-sectional data. Moreover, the findings underscore the protective role of perceived social support in mitigating the detrimental impacts of ACEs on CMQL in the elderly population. Therefore, prioritizing interventions that bolster social support networks may offer 2 significant benefits in enhancing the overall quality of life for older adults.
Keywords: Adverse childhood experiences, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Quality of Life, perceived social support, older adults, chronic diseases
Received: 23 Mar 2025; Accepted: 01 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Sun, Zhang, Zhang, Chang, Cao, Zhou, Li, Tang, Zhou, Li, Yao and Si. 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:
Yisong Yao, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
Junxiao Si, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan Province, China
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