Longitudinal patterns of adverse childhood experiences and ‘NEET’ (Not in Education, Employment or Training) status in young adulthood

Purpose: Longitudinal studies show adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to be associated with increased risks of being ‘Not in Education, Employment, or Training’ (NEET) in young adulthood. However, they rarely account for ACE types, combinations, and timing. We examined whether longitudinal ACE patterns were associated with later NEET status. Methods: Participants (N=8,851) were from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a UK-based prospective cohort. ACEs were reported by a mixture of prospective and retrospective questionnaires. NEET status was self-reported eight times at ages 17-30. Latent class analysis identified distinct patterns of ACEs across childhood and adolescence. Logistic regressions examined associations of ACE classes with persistent NEET (NEET for ≥ 2 consecutive timepoints) and NEET at age 20 (peak prevalence), adjusted for socioeconomic confounders. Sensitivity analyses tested for sex differences. Results: Of five classes, early childhood abuse and parental mental health problems and persistent parental mental health problems demonstrated strong associations with persistent NEET compared to a low ACEs class [adjusted odds ratio, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.79(1.07,3.00) and 1.72(1.11,2.66)] with similar point estimates for NEET at age 20, but wider CIs [1.60(0.86,2.99) and 1.53(0.88,2.65)]. A mid-childhood and adolescence ACEs class was strongly associated with NEET at age 20 [2.80(1.39,5.64)] but not persistent NEET [0.69(0.17,2.83)]. No evidence of sex differences was found (p-value=0.30). Conclusions: Certain ACE patterns are associated with increased odds of different NEET outcomes, after accounting for socioeconomic background. Addressing ACEs early in childhood, particularly abuse and parental mental health, could improve education and employment outcomes.