Published Online:April 2026
Product Name:The IUP Journal of Organizational Behavior
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJOB010426
DOI:10.71329/IUPJOB/2026.25.2.5-30
Author Name:Akanksha Chandele, Atufa Khan and Faseeh Amin
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Management
Download Format:PDF
Pages:5-30
The study examines the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among Indian sanitation workers—one of the most marginalized social groups—to understand its relationship with quality of life (QoL) and protective factors. Data was collected from 1,418 sanitation workers spread across 10 states in India. Pearson correlation was used to investigate the relationship between exposure to ACEs, quality of life and protective factors. Regression analysis was done to examine the impact of protective factors on the quality of life. More than half of the sample showed significant exposure to ACEs. There was a significant negative correlation between exposure to ACEs and protective factors. The relationship between exposure to ACEs and overall quality of life was negative and statistically significant. Protective factors were found to be strongly related to the quality of life. It was also found that the more adverse the childhood experiences, the lower their current quality of life; and the more protective factors the sanitation workers had, the better was their quality of life.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, show a graded and direct association with deteriorating health outcomes and overall quality of life in adulthood (Merrin et al., 2024; Noronha-Ramos et al., 2025).