Abstract:
Background Adverse Childhood Experiences are a significant global public health concern as these experiences
have adverse effects on all the health determinants.
Methods The interpretive phenomenological research design was used to explore the implications of adverse
childhood experiences on the adult life of university students. An interpretive thematic analysis method was
employed to analyze this study.
Results Five major themes emerged after a comprehensive review of the information obtained from the interviews
with the ten selected participants. These were (1) Chronic health struggles (2) Mental health disorders (3) Emotional
and social difficulties (4) Paranoia and distrust and (5) Academic and professional under-performance.
Conclusion This study concludes that adverse childhood experiences have long-lasting negative effects on
university students’ health and behaviour, preventing them from leading healthy lives and excelling academically and
professionally.
