B - 13 Effects of Individual and Community-Level Adverse Childhood Experiences and Current Psychopathology among Monolingual Spanish-Speaking Adult Neuropsychology Referrals

Abstract Objective The link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and higher rates of psychopathology in adulthood has been well-established, though far less analogue research has examined this relationship among Latinx patients. This study assessed the relationship between ACEs and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and perceived stress among monolingual Spanish-speaking neuropsychology referrals. Method Data were culled from 27 adult neuropsychology referrals (mean age = 61.70; mean education = 8.59) neuropsychological referrals administered the ACE Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Linear regression analyses examined the effect of exposure to individual (e.g., emotional, physical, sexual abuse, neglect, domestic violence) and community-level ACEs on depression, anxiety, and perceived stress symptom endorsement. Results Endorsement of more individual ACEs predicted higher levels of anxiety (R2 = 0.281; p = 0.009) and depression (R2 = 0.127; p = 0.075) symptoms, but not perceived stress levels (R2 = 0.037; p = 0.365. By contrast, endorsement of more community-level ACEs marginally predicted higher anxiety symptoms (R2 = 0.124; p = 0.071), but not depression symptoms (R2 = 0.020; p = 0.568) or perceived stress levels (R2 = 0.045; p = 0.319). Conclusions Experiencing more individual-level ACEs predicted greater anxiety and, to a lesser extent, depressive symptoms, whereas community-level ACEs did not predict similar levels of endorsement of active psychopathology among monolingual Spanish-speaking adults referred for neuropsychological evaluation. Findings emphasize the need of neuropsychologists to consider routinely assessing patient’s childhood trauma history and current psychopathology symptoms during evaluation to improve diagnostic accuracy and recommendations for Latinx patients.