Adverse Childhood Experience histories in foster parents: Connections to foster children’s emotional and behavioral difficulties

Adkins, Tina; Reisz, Samantha; Doerge, Kaitlyn; Nulu, Swetha

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104475

Cited by 18 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Our findings corroborate previous studies indicating ACEs are highly prevalent among child welfare-involved adults (Adkins et al, 2020; Blair et al, 2019). Among adults, we found that mean ACE scores were 108% higher than in the general population (Dube et al, 2001) and 24% higher than previous child welfare estimates.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“… Note. 1 Blair et al (2019); 2 Mersky et al (2017); 3 Adkins et al (2020); 4 Lang et al (2017); 5 Ezell et al (2018). …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In adults, mean ACE scores were benchmarked against scores in a sample of child welfare-involved parents (Blair et al, 2019), and individual ACEs were benchmarked against a sample of low-income women participating in a Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program in Wisconsin (Mersky et al, 2017). Exposure to two or more ACEs was benchmarked against a sample of licensed foster parents (Adkins et al, 2020) while exposure to four or more ACEs was compared to a sample of child welfare-involved parents (Blair et al, 2019). To the best of our knowledge, mean scores on the CTAC for children aged 0–5 years have not been previously reported; however, exposure to individual CTACs among younger children were benchmarked against child welfare-involved children in Colorado (Lang et al, 2017).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These children often experience multiple traumatic exposures that are frequent and repetitive (Lang et al, 2017). Prior studies across the United States estimate that 62–80% of child welfare-involved children experience multiple traumatic events (Adkins et al, 2020; Blair et al, 2019; Lang et al, 2017; Mersky et al, 2017), and about 34% experience three or more exposures (Garcia et al, 2017). For instance, older children in the North Carolina child welfare system reported experiencing an average of 1.35 ( SD = 1.78) trauma exposures, with nearly half (48%) exposed to domestic violence as reported on the Children’s Trauma Assessment Center’s (CTAC) Trauma Screening Checklist (Lang et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Benchmarking Trauma in Child Welfare: A Brief Report

Dellor

Yoon

Bunger

et al. 2021

J Interpers Violence

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Trauma exposure is common; however, considerably higher rates are reported in some vulnerable groups including adults and children involved in child welfare systems. In this context, early screening and service linkage may ameliorate its negative impact on the physical and mental well-being of adults and children alike. Using data from two Ohio-based child welfare interventions targeting co-occurring maltreatment and substance use (Ohio START 1 and EPIC2), the purpose of this brief report was to first describe the rate of trauma exposure among participating adults (Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs, N = 402), children 0–5 years (CTAC, N = 271) and youth 6–18 years (CTAC, N = 177), and second to benchmark observed rates against reported rates in other child welfare or similar populations across the United States. Results show that adults were exposed to 4.2 ACEs on average, a 24% increase over previous child welfare estimates. While mean CTAC scores were not significantly different among young children ages 0–5, older children reported on average 5.6 exposures which is 27% higher than previously reported estimates. Our findings highlight the difference in risk profiles between families involved child welfare due primarily to substance misuse and those without substance misuse concerns, or where substance misuse was not the primary cause of entry. We discuss implications for service provision and time-sensitive child welfare requirements.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“… Note. 1 Blair et al (2019); 2 Mersky et al (2017); 3 Adkins et al (2020); 4 Lang et al (2017); 5 Ezell et al (2018). …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Benchmarking Trauma in Child Welfare: A Brief Report

Dellor

Yoon

Bunger

et al. 2021

J Interpers Violence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Seven studies (10.3%) aimed to assess the relationship between parental ACEs and child mental health problems such as child psychological adjustment (Adkins et al, 2020), child resilience and self-esteem (Doi et al, 2022), child emotional availability (Harris et al, 2021), child stress functioning (Hendrix et al, 2022), child psychiatric disorders (Kang et al, 2022), child attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms (Moon et al, 2021), and child post-traumatic stress disorder (Na et al, 2021).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intergenerational Transmission of Parental Adverse Childhood Experiences and Children’s Outcomes: A Scoping Review

Zhang

Mersky

Gruber

et al. 2022

Trauma, Violence, & Abuse

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Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are among the leading environmental causes of morbidity and mortality. Extending research on within-generation effects, more recent scholarship has explored between-generation consequences of ACEs. Despite growing interest in the intergenerational effects of parents’ ACEs on children’s outcomes, this line of scholarship has yet to be coalesced into a comprehensive review. The current study is a scoping review on the intergenerational transmission of parental ACEs and children’s outcomes. Ten databases such as PubMed, APA PsycArticles, and Social Work Abstracts were searched. To be included, empirical studies must have been published in English and analyzed associations between a cumulative measure of at least four parental ACEs and children’s outcomes. Sixty-eight studies qualified for the review and, among these, 60 were published in the most recent 5 years (2018–2022). Fifty-one studies had sample sizes smaller than 500, and 55 focused on the effect of maternal ACEs. Nearly all studies demonstrated that parental ACEs could affect children’s outcomes directly or indirectly via mechanisms like maternal mental health problems or parenting-related factors. By scoping the extant literature, this review advances the knowledge base regarding the intergenerational impacts of parental childhood trauma and children’s outcomes. It also reveals methodological limitations that should be addressed in future research to strengthen causal inferences along with practical implications for interventions that aim to interrupt the intergenerational transmission of trauma.

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