Adverse Childhood Experiences and Subjective Cognitive Decline Among Transgender Adults.
Jobina Chiow, Ethan C Cicero
PMID 39878054WHAT IT FOUND
Transgender adults aged 45 and older who reported more adverse childhood experiences were more likely to report worsening memory or confusion.
Ask about childhood trauma and memory concerns, and deliver trauma-informed, gender-affirming care.
Key findings
01Among 206 transgender adults aged 45 and older, 18% reported subjective cognitive decline and 59.7% reported at least one adverse childhood experience.
02Higher adverse childhood experience count was associated with higher odds of subjective cognitive decline: the adjusted odds increased by 38% as the number of adverse childhood experiences increased.
03In adjusted models, childhood abuse was associated with 4.3 times higher odds of subjective cognitive decline, and household dysfunction with 4.7 times higher odds.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that adverse childhood experiences caused later memory problems. Subjective cognitive decline was self-reported confusion or memory loss, not a dementia diagnosis. The analytic sample was 206 transgender adults from 16 US states, so results may not apply to all transgender adults. The analysis did not use BRFSS sampling weights. Responses relied on memory and recall, which can introduce bias and lead to underreporting. The adverse childhood experience questions were not tailored to abuse or mistreatment related to gender identity. Other factors such as stress, sleep habits, diet, exercise, environment, and substance use were not accounted for.
Declared interests
Dr. Cicero was supported by grants from the Alzheimer's Association. The publication types list NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that adverse childhood experiences caused subjective cognitive decline. The study was cross-sectional and used self-reported memory problems, so it cannot show cause.