Abstract
Women with substance use disorder (SUD) often have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The intergenerational nature of ACEs also put their children at risk for experiencing ACEs. However, no research has explored the prevalence of ACEs in children whose mothers have SUD. This study assessed ACE scores in mothers with SUD and their children and compared them with non-SUD participants. Females with SUD were recruited from a treatment center (n = 50) and compared to females without SUD from the same area (n = 50). The ACE scores of the participants and their children were measured as well as sociodemographic variables. ANOVA and Fisher’s Exact tests were used to examine univariate differences. Multivariate regression models assessed the difference in ACE scores between the groups and their children and the relationship between maternal and child ACE scores while including sociodemographic confounders. The mean ACE score was significantly higher in SUD participants (4.9, SD = 2.9) when compared to non-SUD participants (1.9, SD = 2.0) after controlling for sociodemographic variables (p < .01). Children of treatment participants also had significantly higher mean ACE scores (3.9, SD = 2.3) than children of comparison participants (1.3, SD = 2.0, p < .01). Maternal ACE score was positively related to children’s ACE score after controlling for sociodemographic variables. Given the intergenerational nature of ACEs and their high burden in both mothers and children in substance use treatment, these preliminary findings suggest that mother–child trauma-informed interventions may be appropriate for this population.
Highlights
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are well-documented harmful events (Felitti et al, 1998; Hughes et al, 2017; Merrick et al, 2019; Nurius et al, 2019)
Research suggests individuals who experience multiple ACEs during childhood are at greater risk for developing various negative health outcomes in adulthood (Felitti et al, 1998; Jia and Lubetkin, 2020; Sonu et al, 2019; Merrick et al, 2017); including substance use disorder (SUD) (Stein et al, 2017; Quinn et al, 2019; LeTendre and Reed, 2017; Chandler et al, 2018; Bryant et al, 2020)
The mean ACE score of participants with SUD was significantly higher compared to comparison participants (4.9, SD = 2.9) vs. (1.9, SD = 2.0)) and so were their children’s ACE scores (3.9, SD = 2.3) vs. (1.3,SD = 2.0) (p < .01), respectively
Summary
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are well-documented harmful events (Felitti et al, 1998; Hughes et al, 2017; Merrick et al, 2019; Nurius et al, 2019). ACEs were thought to be rare occurrences, recent estimates suggest that as many as 67% of the US population have encountered at least one of these events (Merrick et al, 2019; Merrick et al, 2018) Such experiences increase risks for many negative physical and mental health outcomes throughout the lifespan including, but not limited to, the five leading causes of death in the US (Jia and Lubetkin, 2020; Hughes et al, 2017; Merrick et al, 2019; Nurius et al, 2019). The high prevalence of ACEs among the US general population and the negative outcomes with which they are associated constitutes a major, but largely unrecognized, public health problem, especially with regards to the ongoing substance use crisis
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