Citation

Oláh B, Fekete Z, Kuritárné Szabó I, Kovács-Tóth B. Front. Public Health 2023; 11: e1258798.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Frontiers Editorial Office)

DOI

10.3389/fpubh.2023.1258798

PMID

38045975

PMCID

PMC10691263

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Multiple evidence suggests that the vast majority of children in the Child Welfare System (CWS) are victims of early, chronic, and multiple adverse childhood experiences. However, the 10-item version of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE-10) has never been tested in such a particularly vulnerable population as adolescents living in the CWS. We aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the ACE-10 in a community sample of 240 Hungarian adolescents placed in family style group care (FGC) setting.

METHODS: Demographic data, the 10-item version of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE-10), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and the HBSC Bullying Measure were used.

RESULTS: Our results showed acceptable internal consistency (α = 0.701) and item-total correlations (r(pb) = 0.25-0.65, p < 0.001). However, our results also reflect that item 6 ("Parental separation/divorce") is weakly correlated with both the cumulative ACE score and the rest of the questionnaire items. When item 6 is removed, the 9-item version of the ACE produces more favorable consistency results (α = 0.729). Strong and significant associations of the cumulative ACE score with emotional and behavioral symptoms and bully victimization confirm the concurrent criterion validity of both versions of the instrument.

DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that ACE-9 and ACE-10 are viable screening tools for adverse childhood experiences in the CWS contributing to the advancement of trauma-informed care. We recommend considering the use of either the 9-item or the 10- item version in the light of the characteristics of the surveyed population. The implications and limitations are discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; Adolescent; Child; *Adverse Childhood Experiences; adolescence; adverse childhood experiences; Child Welfare; child welfare system; Emotions; family dysfunction; maltreatment; measures; psychometrics; Reproducibility of Results; Surveys and Questionnaires; validation