Browsing by Subject "Adverse Childhood Experiences"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adult Well-Being: Impacts by Type, Timing, and Early Childhood Intervention
    (2018-06) Giovanelli, Alison
    Despite an extensive literature describing the detrimental effects of Conventional Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs-C) (e.g., abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction) on physical and mental health, large-scale studies have not assessed links to broader measures of well-being. Furthermore, the observed dose-response relationships in physical and mental health outcomes have been found for predominately middle-class Caucasian samples in relatively high-resource environments. The original ACE survey also neglected to assess experiences more common in high-risk contexts (“Expanded” ACEs; e.g., witnessing or victimization in a violent crime, family financial problems). Importantly, although effective preventive interventions like high-quality early education can reduce rates of child abuse and neglect, little is known about how participation affects the incidence and consequences of ACEs. Given the ACE literature’s clear policy and practice implications, these gaps warrant investigation.In light of these gaps, this study longitudinally evaluates 1) associations between ACEs and educational attainment, income, crime, depressive symptoms, smoking, and self-rated health in a primarily African-American sample 2) differential effects of timing and type of ACE, 3) the potential compensatory effects of early childhood intervention on ACEs, and 4) moderation of intervention effects on adult outcomes by sex and demographic risk. Follow-up data were analyzed for 88% of the original 1539 participants in the ChicagoLongitudinal Study (N = 1352), a prospective large-scale investigation of the impact of an early childhood intervention program and early experiences on life-course well-being. Born between 1979 and 1980 in high-poverty neighborhoods, retrospective report and administrative records were used to assess ACEs from birth to 18 and outcomes at age 37. Over two-thirds of the study sample experienced ≥1 Conventional or Expanded ACE (ACEs-CE), and over half experienced ≥1 Conventional ACE (ACEs-C). After controlling for demographic risk and intervention status, participants reporting ACEs were more likely to have poor outcomes than those without ACEs, and for several domains of adult well-being, the relations between ACEs and outcomes increased in a graded fashion. Participants with ≥4 ACEs-C from birth to 18 had a significantly increased likelihood of incarceration (OR = 3.71; p <.06), lifetime smoking history (OR = 3.40; p <.001) and current depressive symptoms (OR = 3.10; p <.05). High ACEs-C experienced only in the early childhood period (≥2 prior to age 5) were also associated with increased likelihood of lifetime incarceration (OR = 2.23; p <.05), smoking (OR = 3.46; p <.001), and current depressive symptoms (OR = 2.56; p <.05). It should be noted that, while Expanded ACEs may be an important and informative type of adversity, they did not substantially increase predictive power over ACEs-C for most outcomes. Child abuse and neglect from birth to 18 related to crime, education and income, whereas household dysfunction was associated with smoking and depression. Participants with any CAN completed, on average, .5 fewer grades than those without CAN (β = -.57; p < .01), and were about half as likely to obtain a BA or AA degree (OR = 0.51; p < .01). They were also about half as likely to make an income above the average entry wage (OR = 0.51; p < 01), and twice as likely to have been incarcerated or arrested for a felony (OR = 2.16; p <.01 and OR = 2.13; p <.001, respectively). Participants in the HD group had nearly twofold increased odds of smoking (OR = 1.79; p <.01) and were over twice as likely to report significant depressive symptoms (OR = 2.19; p <.05) compared to the group without HD. Furthermore, early intervention significantly moderated the association between ACEs-CE and highest grade completed (β = 0.59; p <.05) and attainment of a Bachelor’s or Associate’s Degree (OR = 2.17; p <.05). Overall, these findings suggest that ACEs exert detrimental effects on adult well-being in low-SES children above and beyond the effects of demographic risk and poverty, and speak to the need to continue to support underserved communities in active ways. Although ameliorating poverty and its negative impacts continues to be high priority, greater investments in interventions aimed at reducing the incidence and counteracting the effects of ACEs are also imperative.
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    Inside the Head of a Bad" Kid: An Autoethnographyof Adversity to Resilience"
    (2016-08) Laabs, Bonnie
    Abstract This qualitative autoethnography explores how and why youth succeed and struggle in their personal and academic lives, through the lens of my own successes and struggles. Autoethnography as an analytical tool places value on the self-reflexive process of understanding. By working through my own childhood experiences and development as a person and a learner, I explore how my personal understanding of trauma impacts my methods for teaching the survival-based students who I now mentor as teacher. This study provides educators, therapists, and caregivers with a deeper understanding of trauma and resilience, from my personal experiences and professional analysis and application. Readers can implement insights from this study to guide young people towards an individual reflection of their experiences. This dissertation is a serious attempt to discover directions for success with trauma and behavior issues in schools. The different data sources and analysis techniques fit together to demonstrate how the experiences of childhood transition into the outcomes of adulthood. Most importantly, by shedding light on the intervention process, we can increase the odds for today’s struggling young people. This thesis travels chapter by chapter, alternating between memoir and analysis to ultimately conclude that lagging executive function skills can be strengthened through behavior intervention which will ultimately increase individual resilience.
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    Intergenerational Continuity of Adverse Childhood Experiences in High-Risk Families
    (2015-08) Narayan, Angela
    Despite the wealth of research on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in nationally representative samples and intergenerational maltreatment in high-risk families, no study has merged these concepts to examine the intergenerational continuity of ACEs in severely impoverished families. This study investigated intergenerational ACEs and the role of risk, promotive, and protective factors, including adulthood adversity, harsh versus effective parenting, and social support quality, in homeless parents and 4-6-year-old children. Parents (n = 107; M = 31.27 years, SD = 6.59, range = 20.01-49.47 years; 63.6% African-American, 12.1% Caucasian, 8.4% Biracial/Multiracial, and 15.9% other) completed the ACEs survey developed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention; measures on adulthood adversity, child ACEs, and social support; and observational assessments of parenting. Path analyses revealed direct effects of parent ACEs to child ACEs and partial mediation of adulthood adversity, but not harsh parenting, for intergenerational continuity of ACEs. Rates of prospective ACEs continuity were approximately 80%. Parental social support was a promotive factor for lower child ACEs. Findings emphasize the role of negative early experiences in the intergenerational continuity of ACEs, above and beyond adversity in adulthood. Providing resources to high-risk parents with histories of ACEs and improving parental support from partners may be promising strategies to deter generational trauma.