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Kendall-Tackett K, Poulin SR, Garner C. Health Problems Mediate the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on the Frequency of Cannabis Use in a Sample of Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2024:8862605241270084. [PMID: 39143755 DOI: 10.1177/08862605241270084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
Many health organizations recommend that mothers avoid cannabis during pregnancy and breastfeeding because they are concerned about exposing infants to Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive substance in cannabis. Yet, data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control demonstrate that a small percentage of mothers continue to use cannabis despite warnings. The frequency of cannabis use is an important variable because frequent use increases THC exposure. The present study examined two variables related to the frequency of cannabis use during pregnancy and breastfeeding: health problems and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). We examined a possible mediation effect of health problems on the relationship between ACEs and the frequency of cannabis use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Our sample was entirely comprised of 1,343 women who used cannabis during pregnancy and breastfeeding. We collected data online. The women were recruited from a Facebook group that supports pregnant and breastfeeding mothers who use cannabis. To be included, participants needed to be at least 18 years old and to have used cannabis while pregnant or breastfeeding. The sample was 79% White, 8% Hispanic, and 14% Black, and 1,199 currently resided in the United States, 76 in Canada, 11 in the United Kingdom, and the rest resided in 13 other countries. Ninety-three percent of the sample reported at least one ACE, and 59% reported 4 or more. Ninety-six percent reported that they were using cannabis to treat a health problem, and the number of health problems ranged from 0 to 8. Two mediation analyses found that the total number of ACEs increased the risk of health problems, which increased the frequency of cannabis use. ACE total was not significantly related to the frequency of use once health problems were accounted for. ACEs are related to the frequency of cannabis use in pregnant and breastfeeding women, but indirectly through trauma's impact on health problems. These findings suggest that practitioners might be able to lower the frequency of cannabis if they directly address health problems.
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Song W, McLean KJ, Gifford J, Kissner H, Sipe R. Adverse Childhood Experiences and Health Outcomes Among Transition-Age Autistic Youth. J Autism Dev Disord 2024:10.1007/s10803-024-06401-7. [PMID: 38771506 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-024-06401-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with poor health outcomes in the general population. However, their impact on autistic youth remains unclear. OBJECTIVE The primary objective was to understand how childhood adversity is related to the general health, mental health, and physical health of transition-age autistic youth. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Using data from the 2018-2021 National Survey of Children's Health, this cross-sectional study involved 2056 autistic youth aged 12-17. METHODS Logistic regression was employed to test the association between three measures of ACEs - individual ACEs, cumulative ACEs, and grouped ACEs based on contexts, and health outcomes of autistic youth. RESULTS Our study observed a high prevalence of ACEs among autistic youth, with a substantially higher proportion experiencing multiple ACEs than their neurotypical peers. Individual ACEs were significantly associated with specific health issues. Cumulative ACEs demonstrated a clear dose-response relationship with health outcomes, with higher ACE counts increasing the likelihood of experiencing poor general health, mental health conditions, and physical health issues. Moreover, grouped ACEs associated with health differently, with community-based ACEs being particularly linked to general health status, mental health conditions, and physical health conditions, while family-based ACEs correlated more with more severe mental health conditions and being overweight. CONCLUSION These findings collectively emphasize the importance of addressing ACEs as a public health concern among transition-age autistic youth, highlighting the need for targeted interventions, prevention strategies, and support services to mitigate the negative impact of ACEs on the overall well-being of this growing community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Song
- A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, 3020 Market Street, Suite 560, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Kiley J McLean
- A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, 3020 Market Street, Suite 560, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Jordan Gifford
- A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, 3020 Market Street, Suite 560, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Hailey Kissner
- A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, 3020 Market Street, Suite 560, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Rosalind Sipe
- A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, 3020 Market Street, Suite 560, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
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Brown C, Nkemjika S, Ratto J, Dube SR, Gilbert L, Chiang L, Picchetti V, Coomer R, Kambona C, McOwen J, Akani B, Kamagate MF, Low A, Manuel P, Agusto A, Annor FB. Adverse Childhood Experiences and Associations with Mental Health, Substance Use, and Violence Perpetration among Young Adults in sub-Saharan Africa. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2024; 150:106524. [PMID: 38854869 PMCID: PMC11160582 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Background Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have debilitating effects on child well-being, with consequences persisting into adulthood. Most ACE studies have been conducted in high-income countries and show a graded relationship between multiple ACE exposures and adverse health outcomes. Less is known about the types and burden of ACEs in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Objective To estimate the pooled prevalence of six individual and cumulative ACE exposures (physical, sexual, and emotional violence; orphanhood; witnessing interparental and community violence) and assess their association with mental health outcomes, substance use, and violence perpetration among young adults in SSA. Participants and setting Aggregate data from the Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) in Cote d'Ivoire 2018, Kenya 2019, Lesotho 2018, Mozambique 2019, and Namibia 2019 included a sample of 11,498 young adults aged 18-24 years. Methods Cumulative ACEs were defined by an integer count of the total number of individual ACEs (0 to 6). Weighted prevalence and adjusted odds ratios were estimated. Result ACEs prevalence ranged from 7.8% (emotional violence) to 55.0% (witnessing community violence). Strong graded relationships between cumulative ACE exposure and all study outcomes for both males and females were observed. Among females, witnessing interparental violence was the only individual ACE risk factor significantly associated with increased odds of substance use; among males, emotional violence was significantly associated with all outcomes. Conclusion ACEs are associated with adverse mental health, substance use, and violence perpetration in SSA. Gender-specific and culturally sensitive intervention strategies are needed to effectively mitigate ACEs in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colvette Brown
- Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA
| | - Stanley Nkemjika
- Department of Psychiatry, Interfaith Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Jeffrey Ratto
- Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA
| | - Shanta R. Dube
- Levine College of Health Sciences, Wingate University, Wingate, North Carolina
| | - Leah Gilbert
- National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
| | - Laura Chiang
- Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA
| | - Viani Picchetti
- Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA
| | - Rachel Coomer
- Division of Global Health HIV and TB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Namibia
| | - Caroline Kambona
- Division of Global Health HIV and TB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kenya
| | - Jordan McOwen
- Division of Global Health HIV and TB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mozambique
| | - Bangaman Akani
- Department of Public Health, Felix Houphouet Boigny University, Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire
| | - Maman Fathim Kamagate
- Division of Global Health HIV and TB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cote d’ Ivoire
| | - Andrea Low
- International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Program (ICAP)at Columbia University, NY
| | - Pedro Manuel
- Division of Global Health HIV and TB, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mozambique
| | | | - Francis B. Annor
- Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA
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Barger SD, Oláis JA. Partitioning the Composition of Adverse Childhood Experiences From Accumulated Adversity: Cross-Sectional Evidence From 2 U.S. Samples. AJPM FOCUS 2024; 3:100192. [PMID: 38419615 PMCID: PMC10899063 DOI: 10.1016/j.focus.2024.100192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Introduction Adverse childhood experiences are linked to adult morbidity and mortality. However, it is unknown whether the patterning of adverse childhood experiences, individually and in combination, confer health risk distinct from that of a cumulative adversity score. This study evaluates whether individual and comorbid adverse childhood experience exposures within a cumulative risk score are equally associated with current smoking and lifetime history of depression. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of adverse childhood experience assessments in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from 21 states in 2019 (n=115,183) and 23 states in 2020 (n=120,416) was performed. We modeled cumulative adverse childhood experience scores and the 5 most common distinct adverse childhood experience components that compose a given adverse childhood experience score, up to a cumulative score of 4. We compared adverse childhood experience components, adjusting for covariates. Results Across both samples, 23% and 57%-58% of persons reported 1 adverse childhood experience and 2 or more adverse childhood experiences, respectively. In 2019 smoking prevalence was 10.4% for persons reporting zero adverse childhood experiences and 14.2% for persons reporting 1 adverse childhood experience. When the single adverse childhood experience was experiencing parental divorce, smoking was higher (16.6%) than when the single adverse childhood experience was verbal abuse (11.8%) or living with a mentally ill household member (9.5%). Lifetime depression prevalence was 9.6% and 14.1% across zero and 1 adverse childhood experience, respectively, whereas it was 26.6% if the single adverse childhood experience was living with a mentally ill household member and 11.0% when the adverse childhood experience was experiencing parental divorce. This heterogeneity was replicated in 2020 data. Additional heterogeneity was observed for higher cumulative adverse childhood experience scores. Conclusions Cumulative adverse childhood experience scores mask substantial health risk heterogeneity, which can be delineated by examining distinct components of cumulative adverse childhood experience scores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven D Barger
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
- the Center for Health Equity Research, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
| | - Jose A Oláis
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
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Peterson C, Aslam MV, Niolon PH, Bacon S, Bellis MA, Mercy JA, Florence C. Economic Burden of Health Conditions Associated With Adverse Childhood Experiences Among US Adults. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2346323. [PMID: 38055277 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.46323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are preventable, potentially traumatic events in childhood, such as experiencing abuse or neglect, witnessing violence, or living in a household with substance use disorder, mental health problems, or instability from parental separation or incarceration. Adults who had ACEs have more harmful risk behaviors and worse health outcomes; the economic burden associated with these issues is uncertain. Objective To estimate the economic burden of ACE-associated health conditions among US adults. Design, Setting, and Participants In this economic evaluation, regression models of cross-sectional survey data from the 2019-2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and previous studies were used to estimate ACE population-attributable fractions (PAFs) (ie, the fraction of total cases associated with a specific exposure) for selected health outcomes (anxiety, arthritis, asthma, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, and violence) and risk factors (heavy drinking, illicit drug use, overweight and obesity, and smoking) among the 2019 US adult population. Adverse childhood experience PAFs were used to calculate the proportion of total condition-specific medical spending and lost healthy life-years related to ACEs using Global Burden of Disease Study data. Data analysis was performed from September 10, 2021, to November 29, 2022. Exposure Adverse childhood experiences (age <18 years). Main Outcomes and Measures Monetary valuation of ACE-associated morbidity and mortality using standard US value of statistical life methods and presented in terms of annual and lifetime per affected person and total population estimates at the national and state levels. Results A total of 820 673 adults, representing 255 million individuals, participated in the BRFSS in 2019 and 2020. An estimated 160 million of the total 255 million US adult population (63%) had 1 or more ACE, associated with an annual economic burden of $14.1 trillion ($183 billion in direct medical spending and $13.9 trillion in lost healthy life-years). This was $88 000 per affected adult annually and $2.4 million over their lifetimes. The lifetime economic burden per affected adult was lowest in North Dakota ($1.3 million) and highest in Arkansas ($4.3 million). Twenty-two percent of adults had 4 or more ACEs and comprised 58% of the total economic burden-the estimated per person lifetime economic burden for those adults was $4.0 million. Conclusions and Relevance In this cross-sectional analysis of the US adult population, the economic burden of ACE-related health conditions was substantial. The findings suggest that measuring the economic burden of ACEs can support decision-making about investing in strategies to improve population health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cora Peterson
- National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Maria V Aslam
- National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Phyllis H Niolon
- National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Sarah Bacon
- National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Mark A Bellis
- Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - James A Mercy
- National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Curtis Florence
- National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
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Dube SR, Li ET, Fiorini G, Lin C, Singh N, Khamisa K, McGowan J, Fonagy P. Childhood verbal abuse as a child maltreatment subtype: A systematic review of the current evidence. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2023; 144:106394. [PMID: 37586139 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In recent years, the prevalence of childhood emotional abuse has surpassed other forms of maltreatment. Childhood verbal abuse (CVA) is a key attribute of emotional abuse, yet CVA is not recognized as its own form of maltreatment and thus, has not received adequate attention. Clear terminology, definitions, and measures are needed to aid in assessing the occurrence and impact of CVA for its recognition and prevention. OBJECTIVE We aim to synthesize the evidence on the terms, definitions, and measurements of CVA and identify outcomes associated with CVA. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING A systematic review focused on adult perpetration of CVA among children and adolescents using clinical, community-based, and population-based samples. METHODS The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed and four databases were utilized in May 2022: PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and ProQuest. A total of 149 quantitative and 17 qualitative studies were identified. RESULTS Across studies reviewed, the most common perpetrators of CVA were parents, mothers, and teachers. Definitional themes for CVA included negative speech volume, tone, and speech content, and their immediate impact. The most frequent measures cited were Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACE) Questionnaire and the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS); 50 % used self-created measures. CVA was associated with a range of internalizing and externalizing outcomes across the lifespan. CONCLUSIONS Recognizing CVA as a form of maltreatment will be a starting point for its identification and prevention. Primary prevention of CVA using trauma-informed approaches must include adult training on the importance of safety, support, and nurturance during verbal communication with children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanta R Dube
- Director, Department of Public Health, Master of Public Health Program, Levine College of Health Sciences, Wingate University, Wingate, NC, United States of America.
| | - Elizabeth T Li
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Guilherme Fiorini
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Caleb Lin
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nikita Singh
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kumayl Khamisa
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer McGowan
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Fonagy
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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