The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Health and Development in Young Children

Abstract

In recent years, there have been advances in research regarding the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and resulting poor outcomes for children who have experiences ACES. ACE exposure has been connected with poor academic performance, poor health outcomes, and certain diseases. However, there is still relatively little known about the prevalence and impact of ACE exposure in early childhood. Using the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health, this study assessed the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences for children under the age of six years. This research measured the impact of individual ACEs on health and developmental outcomes and found that financial hardship and parental mental illness both had increased odds of having health and developmental difficulties. Furthermore, this work finds that there is a dose-response relationship between ACE count and increased risk of health and developmental difficulties. Conversely, children who were reported as affectionate with their parent had decreased risk for health and developmental problems. Programs supporting families with young children should focus efforts on enhancing quality of attachment, especially for children experiencing ACEs.

Adverse Childhood Experience‐Related Conditions and Substance Use in Adolescents: A Secondary Analysis of Cross‐Sectional Survey Data

“…52 Early identification of these mechanisms as well as substance use initiation patterns can help develop early interventions, access to mental health services, supportive relationships, and resiliencebuilding strategies for children to cope with their experiences. [53][54][55][56][57] Finally, this study demonstrated that LCA is useful in identifying subgroups with shared risk factors that can benefit from a common intervention. 21 First, in consideration of ACE-related items, LCA can use maximum likelihood estimation to form internally homogenous and externally heterogeneous subgroups to investigate their shared risk and protective factors.…”

“…Finally, substance use can perpetuate a cycle of adverse experiences, as it can lead to criminal behaviors, legal problems, and further adverse events, creating a negative feedback loop 52 . Early identification of these mechanisms as well as substance use initiation patterns can help develop early interventions, access to mental health services, supportive relationships, and resilience‐building strategies for children to cope with their experiences 53‐57 …”

Anorexia Nervosa in Juvenile Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE): A Causality Dilemma

“…Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include traumatic and life-stressor events of a heterogenous nature, associated with lower psychological resilience at a young age [ 119 ], health risk behaviors and poor health in later life [ 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 124 ], immune dysregulation and immune system inflammation [ 124 , 125 , 126 ], as well as with a negative impact on the long-term developmental trajectory [ 123 , 127 ]. Inevitably, the diagnoses of both SLE and AN has also been researched in the context of ACEs.…”

The formation and functions of school‐based trauma‐leadership teams: A preliminary qualitative study

“…Children exposed to ACEs are at increased risk of developing behavioral challenges, both in and out of the school environment. Such challenges include difficulties with interpersonal relationships, self‐regulation, social competence, and academic development (Thurston et al, 2018; Webster, 2022), as well as poorer academic outcomes and greater risk for developing mental health difficulties such as depression and anxiety (Perfect et al, 2016). These behaviors are problematic in the school environment, as educators and other school staff are tasked with effectively managing these behaviors.…”