Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adolescent Delinquency: A Theoretically Informed Investigation of Mediators during Middle Childhood

Adverse childhood experiences and externalizing, internalizing, and prosocial behaviors in children and adolescents: A longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have a profound impact on individuals, shaping their long-term health and life opportunities. This study delves into the complex ties between ACEs and the socioemotional development of Australian children and youth by examining the relationships between adverse childhood experiences and externalizing, internalizing, and prosocial behaviors.

METHODS

This study utilized data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children and employed the generalized estimating equation method to investigate the relationships between adverse childhood experiences and externalizing, internalizing, and prosocial behaviors in Australian children and adolescents.

RESULTS

Adverse childhood experiences such as physical punishment, hostile parenting, parental conflicts, separation, financial strain, and parental mental health issues increased the risk of externalizing and internalizing behaviors while reducing prosocial behaviors. The risk increases with the number of ACEs, as evidenced by the incidence ratio (IR); for example, for externalizing behaviors, an ACEs score of one leads to IR = 1.69, while an ACEs score of 4 results in IR = 3.34. Similar trends were observed for internalizing and prosocial behaviors.

LIMITATIONS

The presence of imbalanced longitudinal data, arising from variations in the number of observations across different time points, challenges robust inferences. Furthermore, this study investigates the relationship between ACEs and behavioral problems, without establishing causality. Consequently, the results should be interpreted with caution.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study highlight that adverse childhood experiences significantly influence behavioral outcomes in children and adolescents. These findings underscore the critical need for early detection and intervention to mitigate the consequences of traumatic childhood experiences.

Birth order moderates the association between adverse childhood experiences and externalizing behavior symptoms in adolescence

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with externalizing behaviors. Whereas some ACEs affect individual children (i.e., child-specific; e.g., failing a grade), others affect the family unit (i.e., family-wide; e.g., parent losing a job); effects of ACEs on externalizing behavior may manifest differently across groupings of ACEs. Moreover, birth order may modify the association between child-specific and family-wide ACEs and externalizing behavior due to differences in the experience of being a younger versus older sibling. This study examined the externalizing behavior of siblings in relation to their experiences of child-specific and family-wide ACEs to test the hypothesis that younger siblings are at greater risk for developing externalizing symptoms following familial ACE exposure. Participants were 61 sibling pairs (younger sibling Mage = 11.37 years, 44.1% male; older sibling Mage = 13.1 years, 52.5% male) recruited from six schools in the northeastern United States. Parents rated each child's externalizing behaviors (e.g., bullying, meanness) and retrospectively reported on each child's experience of 34 ACEs; two raters categorized ACEs as child-specific (n = 10) or family-wide (n = 24). Multilevel modeling revealed that both child-specific and family-wide ACEs were associated with increased externalizing behaviors. Birth order moderated the effect of family-wide (but not child-specific) ACEs on externalizing behaviors, independent of sex and age. Externalizing behavior was higher for younger siblings as compared with older siblings, particularly when a high number of ACEs (6+) were reported. This research should prompt future exploration of mechanistic theories of the impact of family-wide and child-specific ACEs and the role of birth order.

Allostasis, health, and development in Latin America

The lifespan is influenced by adverse childhood experiences that create predispositions to poor health outcomes. Here we propose an allostatic framework of childhood experiences and their impact on health across the lifespan, focusing on Latin American and Caribbean countries. This region is marked by significant social and health inequalities nested in environmental and social stressors, such as exposure to pollution, violence, and nutritional deficiencies, which critically influence current and later-life health outcomes. We review several manifestations across cognition, behavior, and the body, observed at the psychological (e.g., cognitive, socioemotional, and behavioral dysfunctions), brain (e.g., alteration of the development, structure, and function of the brain), and physiological levels (e.g., dysregulation of the body systems and damage to organs). To address the complexity of the interactions between environmental and health-related factors, we present an allostatic framework regarding the cumulative burden of environmental stressors on physiological systems (e.g., cardiovascular, metabolic, immune, and neuroendocrine) related to health across the life course. Lastly, we explore the relevance of this allostatic integrative approach in informing regional interventions and public policy recommendations. We also propose a research agenda, potentially providing detailed profiling and personalized care by assessing the social and environmental conditions. This framework could facilitate the delivery of evidence-based interventions and informed childhood-centered policy-making.

Understanding adverse childhood experiences and the call for trauma-informed healthcare system in Turkey: a review

Over the past four decades, research has underscored the significance of approaching and preventing trauma from a systemic standpoint. Trauma-informed care (TIC) methodologies offer a structure for healthcare practices, striving to convert organizations into trauma-informed systems that employ trauma-specific interventions. This review employs epidemiological and household data from Turkey to underscore the importance of integrating trauma-informed care as a means of prevention and intervention. Through a desk review, the study examines the role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), delving into their origin from family dynamics, migration, violence, exposure to violence, juvenile delinquency, and child maltreatment. The research highlights innovative healthcare approaches that leverage data to address complex patient health issues while considering mental health needs. In contemporary times, healthcare organizations acknowledge the value of a data-driven approach to make informed clinical decisions, enhance treatment procedures, and improve overall healthcare outcomes. The reviewed research and empirical data furnish proof of the importance of effective and efficient treatment methods that prioritize trauma prevention and treatment, integrating the role of ACEs. This paper seeks to contribute to discussions on transforming the healthcare system to meet the healthcare needs of Turkish households, all the while taking into account the evolving sociopolitical factors that shape Turkey's population characteristics.

Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences and Young Adult Latino Children's Mental Health

INTRODUCTION

Maternal adverse childhood experiences have been linked to a variety of negative health outcomes in young children; however, young adults and, specifically, young adult Latinos have been vastly understudied. This study investigates the intergenerational pathway between maternal adverse childhood experiences and behavioral health outcomes of their young adult children, as mediated through young adults' own adverse childhood experiences and maternal depression.

METHODS

Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data (in 2023) from mothers and their young adult children (n=398 dyads) enrolled in the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas cohort, a primarily Latino agricultural sample. Maternal and young adult adverse childhood experiences were self-reported retrospectively during a visit at the age of 18 years (2018-2020). Young adult- and maternal-reported internalizing and maternal-reported externalizing behaviors were assessed at the age of 18 years with the Behavior Assessment for Children, second edition. Maternal depression was assessed during a visit at the age of 9 years (2010-2012) using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale.

RESULTS

Maternal and young adult adverse childhood experiences were weakly but statistically significantly correlated (r=0.22). Maternal adverse childhood experiences were statistically significantly associated with maternal-reported youth internalizing symptoms (β=0.29; 95% CI=0.19, 0.38; p<0.001) and externalizing symptoms (β=0.24; 95% CI=0.14, 0.33; p<0.001) and marginally associated with youth-reported internalizing symptoms (β=0.08; 95% CI= -0.02, 0.18; p=0.13). Youth adverse childhood experiences and maternal depressive symptomatology mediated the associations between maternal adverse childhood experiences and young adult outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings demonstrate the potential impacts of adversity across generations in Latino immigrant families, an understudied population. Understanding the mechanisms and factors associated with these pathways may lead to strategies that prevent poor mental health outcomes in young adults.

Longitudinal associations between early risk and adolescent delinquency: Mediators, moderators, and main effects

Although multiple domains of risk are theorized to predict adolescent delinquency, father-specific risk in the context of other risks is under-researched. Using the low-income Future of Families and Child Wellbeing cohort (48% Black, 27% Hispanic, 21% White, 51% boy, N = 4,255), the current study addressed three research questions. (1) are father-, mother-, child-, and family-level cumulative risk during early childhood associated with adolescent delinquent behavior?, (2) does child self-control in middle childhood mediate the associations between fathers' and mothers' cumulative risk and adolescent delinquent behavior, and do quality of parent's relationships with children and parental monitoring in middle childhood mediate the association between child cumulative risk and delinquent behavior?, (3) do parenting, quality of parent-child relationships in middle childhood, and child sex at birth moderate the associations among fathers', mothers', children's, and family risk and adolescent delinquent behavior? Results indicated father, child, and mother risk at ages 3-5 were significantly and positively associated with youth-reported delinquent behavior. Higher levels of family risk were associated with less delinquency when 9-year-olds felt closer to fathers than when they felt less close. Children's self-control at age 9 mediated the associations between father and child risk and delinquent behavior.

The impact of the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) on the mental well-being of youth at risk for violence: A study protocol

PURPOSE

Assess the effect of a brief, somatic awareness resiliency training, the Community Resiliency Model (CRM)®, on the mental well-being of incarcerated youth. SPECIFIC AIM 1: Explore the relationship between youth demographics and justice history to baseline well-being scores and response to treatment. Q1: How do personal variables, including length of time in juvenile justice, relate to baseline mental health scores and response to the wellness skills intervention? SPECIFIC AIM 2: Examine the mental health scores over time to determine effectiveness of participating in CRM training while incarcerated. Hypothesis 1: Well-being scores will increase after CRM training. Hypothesis 2: Emotional distress will decrease after participating in a CRM training. Hypothesis 3: Pro-social feelings and behaviors will increase after participating in a CRM training.