Background and Objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease with unknown etiology. Studies on the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the onset of this disease have reported contradictory results. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between “ACEs” and “onset of MS” and determine the mediating role of “sense of coherence (SOC)”.
Material and Method: The present study was a cross-sectional descriptive-correlation study using mediator analysis. The statistical population of the study consisted of people over 18 years of age with multiple sclerosis and their matched individuals (in terms of age and gender). 224 participants participated in two matched groups of people with MS (112 members of the “How Many Steps Today?!” NGO) and people without MS (112 people). Data were collected using the Adverse Childhood Experiences-International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) and the Antonovsky’s Sense of Coherence Scale and analyzed by independent samples t-test and linear and logistic regression using SPSS 26 software and bootstrapping mediation analysis with 10,000 simulations using R software.
Results: Individuals with MS reported significantly higher levels of ACEs (especially experiences related to parents and family) and lower levels of SOC (p<0.001) compared to individuals without MS. Linear regression showed that ACEs significantly predicted SOC (p<0.001). Logistic regression also showed that ACEs and SOC significantly predicted the onset of MS (p<0.05). Mediation analysis showed that ACEs had both a direct effect (p=0.04) and a significant indirect effect (p<0.001) on the onset of MS. SOC significantly mediated 37.8% of the total effect of ACEs on the MS incidence.
Conclusion: ACEs are a significant risk factor for developing MS in adulthood. A significant part of this effect is exerted through weakening the SOC of the individual. This finding emphasizes the critical importance of preventing childhood trauma and strengthening psychological resources as a potential strategy for reducing the risk of autoimmune diseases.