Editor's note: Dr. Harise Stein at Stanford University edits a web site — abuseresearch.info — that focuses on the health effects of abuse, and includes research articles on ACEs. Every month, she posts the summaries of the abstracts and links to research articles that address only ACEs science. [Thank you, Harise!! -- Jane Stevens]
Petruccelli K, Davis J, Berman T.
Adverse childhood experiences and associated health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Abuse Negl. 2019 Nov;97:104127. PMID: 31454589
“This review supports the existing literature associating ACEs with poor health outcomes…from biological effects and increased risks of the leading causes of death in the US to poor school performance and increased rates of risky behaviors. It supports the need for pediatricians to screen for ACEs…to identify interventions to prevent ACEs and to intervene on those exposed to ACEs when they are identified.”
Rod NH, Bengtsson J, Budtz-Jørgensen E, et. al.
Trajectories of childhood adversity and mortality in early adulthood: a population-based cohort study. Lancet. 2020 Aug 15;396(10249):489-497. PMID: 32798491
Following the life course of over 1 million Danish children, those with multiple adversities across social, health, and family-related dimensions had a markedly higher mortality risk in early adulthood. “Accidents, suicides, and cancer were the most common causes of death in this high adversity population.”
Chou PH, Koenen KC.
Associations between childhood maltreatment and risk of myocardial infarction in adulthood. J Psychiatr Res. 2019 Sep;116:172-177. PMID: 30553535
From a large US national survey of over 35,000 adults, and controlling for sociodemographic variables, childhood sexual abuse was significantly associated with 1.85 times increased odds of MI (heart attack), childhood physical abuse with 2.45 increased odds of MI for men only, and experiencing more than 3 types of maltreatment with 2.08 times increased odds of MI.
Guinn AS, Ports KA, Ford DC, Breiding M, Merrick MT.
Associations between adverse childhood experiences and acquired brain injury, including traumatic brain injuries, among adults: 2014 BRFSS North Carolina. Inj Prev. 2019 Dec;25(6):514-520. PMID: 30317219
From a North Carolina study of 3454 adults, those reporting 3+ ACEs, sexual abuse, physical abuse, household mental illness or an incarcerated household member, were 3-4 times more likely to report a history of traumatic brain injury.
Fassel M, Grieve B, Hosseini S, et. al.
The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Burn Outcomes in Adult Burn Patients. J Burn Care Res. 2019 Apr 26;40(3):294-301. PMID: 30873544
Adult inpatient and outpatient burn patients with high ACE scores vs. low ACEs were less resilient when facing stressful events, more likely to screen positive for probable PTSD, and scored lower on social participation in the burn recovery period.
Gerin MI, Viding E, Pingault JB, et. al.
Heightened amygdala reactivity and increased stress generation predict internalizing symptoms in adults following childhood maltreatment. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2019 Jul;60(7):752-761. PMID: 30933355
“Maltreatment is a potent developmental insult” leading to long-lasting recalibrations of the brain threat processing system. “It is possible that such alterations, over time, may impact mental health functioning by compromising the ability to effectively negotiate everyday challenges.”
Mérelle S, Van Bergen D, Looijmans M, et. al.
A multi-method psychological autopsy study on youth suicides in the Netherlands in 2017: Feasibility, main outcomes, and recommendations. PLoS One. 2020 Aug 27;15(8):e0238031. PMID: 32853213
“Forensic autopsies” were held for 35 Dutch teens mean age 17 years who had committed suicide. Interviews with parents, peers, and teachers reported complex situations involving multiple ACEs including bullying, parental divorce, and sexual abuse, as well as complex mental disorders. New trends were found of contagion effects of social media use and internet use for searching lethal methods. “An infrastructure is needed to continuously monitor, evaluate, and support families after each youth suicide and thereby improve prevention strategies.”
Kubik J, Docherty M, Boxer P.
The impact of childhood maltreatment on adolescent gang involvement. Child Abuse Negl. 2019 Oct;96:104096. PMID: 31386998
Using part of a national dataset, childhood experiences of maltreatment generally, and neglect specifically, were significantly associated with an increased risk of involvement in stable gang affiliation later in adolescence.
Turner HA, Finkelhor D, Mitchell KJ, Jones LM, Henly M.
Strengthening the predictive power of screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in younger and older children. Child Abuse Negl. 2020 Sep;107:104522. PMID: 32731172
This study compared 40 ACEs in their ability to predict trauma symptoms in childhood. They found 2 different/intersecting sets of 15 ACEs most applicable to children 2-9 (filled out by caregiver) and those 10-17 (self-reported).
Finkelhor D.
Trends in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in the United States. Child Abuse Negl. 2020 Oct;108:104641. PMID: 32739600
Comparing ACEs in the US for the 1900-2000 period vs. 2000-2018, the rates of most ACEs decreased over time. Those that increased in the latter period included parental alcohol or drug use, maternal mortality, parental incarceration, and substantiated neglect.
Comments (0)