Adverse childhood experiences and delinquent behaviour: Predictors and mediating variables

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Investments in Adverse Childhood Experience Prevention Efforts

Background: Many studies demonstrated the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and diminished health functioning in adulthood. A growing literature has shown that positive childhood experiences (PCEs) co-occurring with ACEs reduce the risks for negative outcomes. Objective: The aim was to investigate how ACEs and PCEs are simultaneously associated with health outcomes in adulthood, including self-rated health, physical and mental health outcomes, and health-risk behaviours. Methods: A panel sample of 4,847 Slovenian adults was used and the data were weighted to closely resemble the Slovenian population. A series of logistic regression analyses were performed to examine how ACEs and PCEs predict the risk of various health outcomes. Results: Significant associations, as measured by adjusted odds ratios, were found between higher ACEs exposure and each of the 16 health outcomes evaluated. Adjusting for above median PCEs attenuated the association between ACEs and 6 health outcomes (poor self-rated physical and mental health, depression, anxiety, suicide attempt, physical inactivity; OR for ≥ 4 vs. 0 ACEs, 1.48–9.34). Mirroring these findings, above median PCEs were associated with lowered odds of these 6 health outcomes after adjusting for ACEs (OR for above vs. below median PCEs, 0.46–0.67), but not with odds of physical health outcomes and most of the health-risk behaviours. Stratified analyses by ACEs exposure level showed that the association between PCEs and self-rated health remained stable across ACEs exposure levels, while the association between PCEs and mental health outcomes and physical inactivity varied across ACEs exposure levels. Conclusions: Our results suggest that above median PCEs attenuate the association between ACEs and poor self-rated health, mental health problems, and physical inactivity in later life, and are negatively associated with these health problems even in the concurrent presence of ACEs. Interventions to promote PCEs can help to reduce unfavourable long-term health outcomes following childhood adversity.

Positive and adverse childhood experiences and mental health outcomes of children

Building Infrastructure for Surveillance of Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences: Integrated, Multimethod Approaches to Generate Data for Prevention Action

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Teen Behavior Outcomes: The Role of Disability.

Unpacking the impact of adverse childhood experiences on adult mental health

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are negative and powerful experiences that are linked to childhood trauma and abuse that can be passed on to own children, creating a devious cycle of ACEs. ACEs affect the development of children on an individual level (i.e., antisocial personality traits and mental health issues), physical health level (i.e., general health and diabetes), family and parental level (i.e., dysfunctional households and family violence), socioeconomic level (i.e., low family income and unemployment), peer level (i.e., antisocial and delinquent peers), school level (i.e., learning problems and low school attainment), and community/neighborhood level (i.e., high-crime levels and overcrowding). Depending on the impact and the severity of the abuse experienced by children and adolescents, the inability to positively adapt, regulate emotions, steer attitudes and skills, and foster positive personal relationships may lead to maladaptive functioning, and antisocial, violent, at-risk, and criminal behaviors. This chapter outlines ACEs within the context of antisocial, delinquent behaviors, and the link to criminal involvement.

The influence of adverse and positive childhood experiences on young people's mental health and experiences of self-harm and suicidal ideation

Childhood experiences, both adverse and positive, influence mental health outcomes in adulthood. This study examined the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) among a sample of Black Americans (N = 999, M = 45.6 years, SD = 17.16 years, range = 18-82 years) and investigated how ACEs, PCEs, and their interaction were each associated with key transdiagnostic factors known to underlie mental health problems: emotion dysregulation, distress tolerance, and anxiety sensitivity in adulthood. Participants completed the ACEs scale, Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) scale, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-short form, Distress Tolerance Scale-short form, and Short Scale Anxiety Sensitivity Index. Participants reported moderate ACEs (M = 2.97) and relatively high BCEs (M = 8.44). Results revealed that ACEs and BCEs were inversely but only modestly associated. In linear regressions that accounted for both ACEs and BCEs together, higher ACEs were associated with higher levels of emotion dysregulation and anxiety sensitivity and lower levels of distress tolerance. Meanwhile, higher BCEs were associated with lower emotion dysregulation and anxiety sensitivity and higher distress tolerance. While the interaction between ACEs and BCEs was not significant for any outcome, post hoc exploratory tests showed cohort effects by stage of adulthood for ACEs, PCEs, and outcomes. Findings indicate that many individuals have at least some of both types of experiences, and both types of experiences directly associate with each outcome. Findings highlight the importance of both ACEs and PCEs for psychosocial functioning and the mental health of Black American adults.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Limited information on their influence exists in Latin America and middle-income countries like Mexico. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and impact of ACEs and benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) on Mexican population health. From September to November 2023, this cross-sectional study recruited a nationally representative sample of adults aged 18-65, randomly selected from urban and rural areas. Sociodemographic data, ACEs, BCEs, physical and mental health history, and clinical assessments for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and eating disorders were collected. Of 1448 participants recruited, 1115 (77%) were women, 1278 (88·2%) reported at least one ACE, while 328 (22·6%) had four or more. Physical (840; 58·6%) and emotional neglect (518; 35·7%) were the most frequent. Four or more ACEs increased the odds of obesity (OR 1·8, 95% CI 1·2-2·8), hypertension (OR 1·6, 95% CI 1·1-2·2), depression (OR 4·7, 95% CI 3·6-6·1) and anxiety (OR 4·1, 95% CI 3·2-5·3) among others. Common BCEs included having at least one supportive caregiver (1298; 89·6%) and feeling comfortable with oneself (1272; 87·8%). BCEs decreased the odds of physical and mental health diagnoses. ACEs are highly prevalent and significantly impact the health of Mexican population. BCEs protect against these effects. Considering ACEs in public policies can help establish interventions to prevent adversity and promote positive childhood experiences. Fundación FEMSA, Centro de Primera Infancia from Tecnológico de Monterrey and Fundación FEMSA and Tecnologico de Monterrey Challenge-Based Research Funding Program 2022.

Network analysis of adverse and positive childhood experiences in a national sample of university students.

Association of adverse and positive childhood experiences with subjective age: findings from 5759 Chinese young adults.

Buffering effects of positive childhood experiences on the association between adolescents' adverse childhood experiences and delinquency: A statewide study.

The number of physically and mentally unhealthy days as a measure of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is used to examine the different effects of the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on physical and mental health outcomes. The data, a cross-sectional state-level survey, is obtained from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2012. Multiple regression analyses are conducted for the study. The results indicate that all individual ACE categories are inversely associated with both physical and mental health, as respondents who exposed to any adverse childhood experience are likely to have physically- and mentally-related poor HRQOL in adulthood. The estimated coefficients for individual ACEs in magnitude on the mental health outcome are, in overall, greater than the estimated coefficients on the physical health outcome. The regression results with accumulative ACE scores indicate that higher levels of the ACE score would affect higher negative health outcomes, such as the dosage effects that appear again in this study. The estimated coefficients of accumulative ACE scores on the mental health outcome exceed the coefficients of ACE scores on physical health outcome for an ACE score of 2 and above. The gap in the estimated coefficients of ACE scores between physically and mentally unhealthy days increases as the ACE score rises. The estimated coefficient at the score ACE8 for the mentally unhealthy days becomes almost twice as large as the coefficient for the physically unhealthy days. Importantly, the negative effects of ACEs on mental health outcomes are significantly greater than the negative effects on physical health outcomes.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) affect 22–75% of American young adults. ACEs are associated with adverse health outcomes that begin in young adulthood. Yet, scant research has examined if coping can mediate the relationship between ACEs and adverse outcomes. The current study determined if coping mediates the relationship between ACEs and body mass index (BMI), substance use, and mental health outcomes in young adults. A community sample of 100 White and 100 Black young adults 18–34 years of age participated in a cross-sectional study conducted via Zoom conferencing. Participants provided demographic data, height/weight, and completed measures of ACEs, coping, substance use, and mental health outcomes. Coping was measured using an established three-factor model consisting of adaptive, support, and disengaged coping. Structural equation modeling (SEM) examined the relationships of ACEs to outcomes as mediated by coping. Participants were predominantly female (n = 117; 58.5%) and mid-young adult (M = 25.5 years; SD = 4.1). SEM results indicated good model fit: (CMIN/df = 1.52, CFI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.05 [90% CI = 0.03-0.07], SRMR = 0.06). Only disengaged coping mediated the ACE and substance use (β = 0.36, p = .008), smoking (β = 0.13, p = .004), and mental health (β=-0.26, p = .008) relationships. Disengaged coping styles may be a critical mechanism in developing adverse mental health and substance use outcomes among ACE-exposed individuals. Future ACE and health outcomes research should examine the role of coping. Interventions focusing on adaptive coping may improve the health of individuals exposed to ACEs.