Greater accumulation of adverse life events across the life course is associated with higher likelihood of depressive symptomatology, lower life satisfaction, and reduced quality of life, with women showing heightened vulnerability for the total accumulation score.
Greater accumulation of adverse life events over the life course was associated with a higher likelihood of depressive symptomatology.
Greater accumulation of adverse life events was associated with lower life satisfaction and reduced quality of life.
Gender moderates the relationship between total accumulation of adverse life events (TCALE) and mental health and well-being outcomes, with women being more vulnerable.
No consistent gender interactions were found for self-oriented (SOCALE) or other-oriented (OOCALE) accumulation scores, though OOCALE showed non-significant trends similar to those for the total score.
Cumulative life course adversity is a significant risk factor for poorer mental health and well-being, with women showing heightened vulnerability.
This study used data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to look at how many different adverse events people had experienced across their lives (22 types of events) and how this related to depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, and quality of life. It also asked whether the link differed between men and women. The research suggests that people who had experienced more kinds of adverse events were more likely to have depressive symptoms and reported lower life satisfaction and quality of life. When all events were counted together, the link was stronger for women than for men, suggesting women may be more vulnerable to the build-up of adversity. When events were split into those mainly affecting the person themselves and those affecting other people close to them, no consistent gender differences emerged. Trends for events affecting others pointed in the same direction as the overall finding but were not statistically significant. Because the data are from a single wave of an observational study, the findings show associations rather than proving cause and effect.
Hirch S. (2026). The accumulation of adverse life events across the life course and their association with mental health and well-being: exploring gender heterogeneity.. BMC public health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-30076-7