Citation

Dube SR. Child Abuse Negl. 2024; 154: e106899.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106899

PMID

38875867

Abstract

For almost three decades, research on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) has proliferated and contributed to the body of science demonstrating their lifelong impact on health across the lifespan (Afifi et al., 2008; Felitti et al., 1998). ACEs, which include childhood abuse, neglect, and related household stressors, are common across populations (Allen et al., 2019; Baglivio et al., 2014). Similar to findings from the landmark ACE Study, studies among children, adolescents, young adults, and adult populations indicate that between 23 % to 64 % report exposure to at least one ACE, (Amene et al., 2024; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010; Dube et al., 2001; Felitti et al., 1998; Giano et al., 2020; Swedo, 2023; Walker et al., 2022), with prevalence increasing across age groups among children (Walker et al., 2022).

Cumulative ACEs increase the risk of multiple behavioral, social, and health outcomes in a dose-response manner across birth cohorts and the life course (Anda et al., 2006; Dube et al., 2003; Walker et al., 2022). Biologically, these early life exposures lead to the release of stress hormones, such as cortisol (Bhopal et al., 2019) and catecholamines (Condon, 2018) creating a biological firestorm that can negatively impact brain and other systems development and lead to behavioral and health problems across the lifespan (Garner et al., 2012).

Studies on the epidemiology of ACEs and their biological mechanisms continue to cross-validate the initial findings from the landmark ACE Study. Importantly, researchers have also given attention to the importance of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) that can promote stress adaptability across the lifespan (Bethell et al., 2019; Narayan et al., 2018). ...

Language: en