Adverse Childhood Experiences and Lifetime Adverse Maternal Outcomes (Gestational Diabetes and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy) in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos

Abstract Purpose Childhood adversity is associated with increased risk of adult disease, including type 2 diabetes and hypertension. However, little is known about potential associations between childhood adversity and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The goal of this study is to examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and ever experiencing gestational diabetes (GDM) or a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP) in a cohort of Hispanic/Latina women. Methods We analyzed data from 2,319 women from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) who had ever given birth to a liveborn infant. We fit separate logistic regression models accounting for sample weights to examine the association between ACEs and risk of GDM and HDP adjusting for Hispanic/Latino background, age at immigration to the U.S., and education. Results Women who reported 4 or more ACEs did not show increased odds of GDM or HDP compared to those who reported three or fewer (GDM adjusted OR: OR: 0.8 (0.5, 1.3); HDP adjusted OR: 1.0 (0.7, 1.5)). Conclusions Unlike previous research with majority non-Hispanic white cohorts, there was no association between ACEs and GDM or HDP. Future research should explore if this relationship varies by race/ethnicity in multiethnic cohorts.