TY - JOUR
T1 - Total Adverse Childhood Experiences and Preterm Birth
T2 - A Systematic Review
AU - Sulaiman, Salima
AU - Premji, Shahirose Sadrudin
AU - Tavangar, Farideh
AU - Yim, Ilona S.
AU - Lebold, Margaret
AU - Ali, Naureen Akber
AU - Ali, Syed Muzafar
AU - Babar, Neelofur
AU - Dosani, Aliyah
AU - Forcheh, Ntonghanwah
AU - Ghani, Farooq
AU - Hashmani, Fouzia
AU - Jabeen, Nigar
AU - Javed, Arshia
AU - Jehan, Imtiaz
AU - Lalani, Sharifa
AU - Letourneau, Nicole
AU - Lohana, Heeramani
AU - Merali, Mohamoud
AU - Mian, Ayesha
AU - Muhabat, Qamarunissa
AU - Namdave, Suneeta
AU - Naugler, Christopher T.
AU - Nausheen, Sidrah
AU - Pardhan, Almina
AU - Shazad, Rozina
AU - Saleem, Erum
AU - Samia, Pauline
AU - Shaikh, Kiran
AU - Shamim, Nazia
AU - Siddiqui, Sana Asif
AU - Tariq, Afia
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to acknowledge the Maternal-infant Global Health Team (MiGHT) Collaborators in research and support received through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Grant (Application #376731).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2021/10
Y1 - 2021/10
N2 - Introduction: Total adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are gaining prominence as a risk factor for preterm birth (PTB). The emerging literature examining this relationship reports inconsistent findings. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize the available evidence exploring whether total ACEs predict PTB. Methods: A total of 386 studies were returned from searches on PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). Nine studies were selected for final analysis and synthesis based on reporting of total ACEs and preterm birth gestational weeks or standard definition of birth before 37 weeks’ gestational age. A systematic review rather than meta-analysis was selected to present the findings given the clinical and methodological (e.g., sample studied, measurement tools) heterogeneity of the retrieved studies and pregnancy outcomes measured. Results: The nine studies report on birth outcomes for 6,087 women from a range of sociodemographic and ethnic backgrounds. Despite a wide range of study designs, measurement tools, and timings of ACEs exposure across studies, seven of the nine included studies showed significant relationships between ACEs and PTB. Conclusion: Systematic review of the literature suggests that total ACEs are associated with PTB and provides an overview on the known associations. However, to date only nine studies have assessed this link, and more studies are needed, to explore the associations between ACEs and PTB using appropriate and valid instruments and doing so among more diverse populations. Future research should also explore possible biological mechanisms (allostatic load), and moderating and mediating variables.
AB - Introduction: Total adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are gaining prominence as a risk factor for preterm birth (PTB). The emerging literature examining this relationship reports inconsistent findings. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize the available evidence exploring whether total ACEs predict PTB. Methods: A total of 386 studies were returned from searches on PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). Nine studies were selected for final analysis and synthesis based on reporting of total ACEs and preterm birth gestational weeks or standard definition of birth before 37 weeks’ gestational age. A systematic review rather than meta-analysis was selected to present the findings given the clinical and methodological (e.g., sample studied, measurement tools) heterogeneity of the retrieved studies and pregnancy outcomes measured. Results: The nine studies report on birth outcomes for 6,087 women from a range of sociodemographic and ethnic backgrounds. Despite a wide range of study designs, measurement tools, and timings of ACEs exposure across studies, seven of the nine included studies showed significant relationships between ACEs and PTB. Conclusion: Systematic review of the literature suggests that total ACEs are associated with PTB and provides an overview on the known associations. However, to date only nine studies have assessed this link, and more studies are needed, to explore the associations between ACEs and PTB using appropriate and valid instruments and doing so among more diverse populations. Future research should also explore possible biological mechanisms (allostatic load), and moderating and mediating variables.
KW - Adverse childhood experiences
KW - Childhood household dysfunction
KW - Childhood maltreatment
KW - Preterm birth
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85106952779&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10995-021-03176-6
DO - 10.1007/s10995-021-03176-6
M3 - Journal Article
C2 - 34036452
AN - SCOPUS:85106952779
SN - 1092-7875
VL - 25
SP - 1581
EP - 1594
JO - Maternal and Child Health Journal
JF - Maternal and Child Health Journal
IS - 10
ER -