Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Timely Bachelor’s Degree Attainment

Abstract

It is well established that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to health and emotional outcomes. However, less is known about the relationship between ACEs and educational attainment—a potentially important feature of educational stratification in America. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), a nationally representative study following 7–12th grade students in the 1994–95 school year, I investigate the link between ACEs and these students’ timely post-secondary attainment. I also explore the role of health and socio-emotional factors as mediators. Results confirm that there is a graded relationship between ACEs and timely bachelor’s degree attainment—an additional ACE decreases the odds of timely bachelor’s degree attainment by about 17%, even after accounting for other related factors. In addition, the findings suggest that general health partially mediates this link.

Examining the Relationships Between Adverse Childhood Experiences, Student Generational Status, and Exam Performance in Emerging Adult Undergraduates

“…In fact, longitudinal follow-up from first year may be particularly worthwhile. A study conducted by Otero (2021) determined that there was no difference between zero and one ACEs, but each additional ACE correlated with a 17% decrease in timely degree obtainment. As only 65.9% of students graduate from our institution, as per MacLean’s report (2018), a cross-sectional examination of students from different years in their undergraduate degree, or a longitudinal study over the 4-year term may prove beneficial.…”

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the Link to Antisocial, Delinquent, and Criminal Behaviors

“…Child abuse is a common denominator identified in research as the main factor linked to ACEs [11-14, 16, 18, 24, 26]. Well-known ACEs include physical abuse [11,26], emotional and psychological abuse [11,26], sexual abuse [11,17,26], abandonment and neglect [24,26,27,28], and unplanned teenage or adolescent pregnancies [27,29].…”

“…Other individual ACEs involve a lack of self-control [7,30], delinquent attitudes [7], tolerant views about delinquency [7], impulsivity [11,30], poor social skills [28], early onset of dating and engaging in risky sexual behaviors and promiscuity [15,17,24,28,30,31], social isolation [15], and difficulty to form and maintain relationships [21].…”

“…A confluence of parental and family factors are linked to ACEs, namely inadequate parenting ability [7,26,31], poor parenting attitudes [7,26], previous records of child abuse [26], a dysfunctional home environment [11,28], domestic violence at home [11,24,26,28,31], substance abuse at home [11,13,24,26,28,30], poor parental supervision [7,13,30], and parent interpersonal skills deficits [13,26].…”

“…Other factors that might play a role in ACEs include parental employment problems [13,26,31], parental stress [26], parent self-esteem deficits [26], parent experienced abuse as a child [26], poor parental psychological adjustment [26], unreliable parents [26], parental/sibling substance (drugs and alcohol) abuse [11,13,26,29], poor parent-child attachments/bonds [13,26,28,31], and uninvolved parents [7,13,26]. Further to this, parental (or sibling) psychological or psychiatric treatment history [26], parents who are unresponsive to the child's needs, safety, and security [26], family poverty [13,24,26,31], multigenerational poverty [24], and inadequate access to social support [26] have been listed as significant parental or family factors that may enhance exposure to ACEs.…”