Two of every three students in the classroom today are affected by at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE; Perfect et al., 2016). Recently, researchers have used a neurodevelopmental approach to try to categorize and describe the connection between the neurological, cognitive, and academic success of children with ACEs and may have discovered a unique connection to math (Blodgett & Lanigan, 2018). The culmination of this research suggests that children who experience ACEs develop a stress physiology (as evidenced by differences in brain volume and cortisol levels) and this affects executive functioning. Because executive functioning, which is undergirded by the structural development of the brain (De Bellis et al., 2016), is related to mathematical academic achievement (Clark et al., 2010), children who have structural differences due to ACEs are hypothesized to have unique challenges in math. This study examined children drawn from an academic (rather than clinical) setting using behavioral measures of executive functioning as well as math grades obtained from their schools. Results suggest that for children drawn from a traditional academic setting, having been exposed to ACEs does not predict significant differences in EF skills or in school performance in math. Though the sample demonstrated a typical prevalence of exposure to ACEs, the maternal education of the children in the sample (a proxy for SES) was distinctly high. The interaction of these two aspects of this sample and their implications for the findings is discussed. / Educational Psychology

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Childhood trauma greatly impacts the lives of patients and their future health outcomes. Since the discovery of the utility of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) screening tool in the 1990s, many providers have attempted to screen and intervene on these past experiences of trauma with mixed results. ACEs have an outsized impact on adult health. There is considerable literature documenting the changing state of screening for ACEs in adult populations, and the compelling rationales for doing so. There are also a number of interventions available currently, but providers face challenges to use them. Ethical considerations and issues with the current state of screening for ACEs exist, due to some of these challenges and differential availability of interventions between populations. Here, I use the principles of urban bioethics to explain the ethical obligation of screening for ACEs despite these challenges and to dispute previous discussions on this topic. This article will show that there are general strategies that providers can take to implement ACEs screening in an ethical manner and specifically discusses trauma-informed care’s utility to help achieve these strategies. Through this discussion, I hope to encourage providers to reconsider ACEs screening and give them strategies to do so. / Urban Bioethics

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Despite evidence to suggest that pathways from adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to psychological distress and offending are gender-specific, theory-driven research examining intervening factors in such pathways is rare. Utilising a mixed-method design, the research presented in this thesis aimed to a) provide further insight into gender-specific trajectories from ACEs to negative outcomes and b) to identify a theoretically viable framework within which to conduct such research. It was anticipated that comparing and contrasting the quantitative (Study 1 and Study 2) with the qualitative (Study 3) findings would help to inform interventions to reduce female offending. The literature review identified an attachment framework as appropriate for the research and highlighted a range of factors that warranted investigation. The findings from an internet survey (Study 1) in a mixed-gender community sample provided some support for the notion of genderspecific pathways to offending. Moreover, several variables were identified (e.g. emotional intelligence, empathy and anger) that warranted further examination in a second survey (Study 2) with a sample of women with a history of ACEs (ex- and non-offenders). The findings from the two studies suggested that emotion coping and management (EI) skills may foster resilience to negative experiences and also provided support for the use of an attachment framework in research that examines the negative sequelae of ACEs. The qualitative study (Study 3) utilised interpretative phenomenological analysis in order to gain a deeper insight into women’s trajectories from ACEs to psychological distress and offending. The findings strongly suggested that interventions may need to target deficits in emotion regulation in order to ameliorate the potential negative outcomes of chronic childhood adversity. The importance of context was also highlighted. Additionally, EI and an emotional approach to coping were identified as factors that were beneficial in terms of the women’s psychological well-being. The findings from the research highlighted emotion coping and management skills as useful targets for intervention in women ex-offender populations with a history of ACEs and associated psychological distress. Based on the findings reported in this thesis, recommendations were made with regard to future research in the field of ACEs, psychological distress and offending.

This study sought to examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and intimate partner violence in adult committed, monogamous, same sex female relationships. Participants included lesbian or queer cisgender women, age 18 or over, who were in a current committed relationship of at least six months. Partnerships with local and national lesbian advocacy groups allowed electronic access to participants. A total of 87 participants completed the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire and the Abusive Behaviors Inventory. All participants were anonymous. The three examined variables included emotional/psychological abuse, sexual abuse, and physical abuse. These variables were entered into the Software Program for Statistical Analysis (SPSS) using correlational matrices, hierarchical regression, and one-way ANOVA analyses. Results from the data analysis will provide insight into the relationship of each variable on the presence of intimate partner violence in adult committed, monogamous, lesbian or queer cisgender relationships.

Adverse birth outcomes and adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are concerns in the United States, with potential to impact health indices now and in the future. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively examine the association between maternal exposure to ACE, low birth weight, and county of residence in the Appalachian population using the Life Course Approach as the theoretical framework. A cross-sectional study design and clustering strategy was used to randomly select potential respondents from a data set that was provided by Ohio Department of Health. Self-administered questionnaires were sent to potential respondents to collect information about ACE in the maternal population of Appalachia, Ohio with an overall response rate of 29.5% and 212 total participants. A chi-square analysis was completed and no significant association was found between county of residence and risk of low birth weight. However, statistically significant associations were found between the different types of ACE exposure and low birth weight delivery as well as Appalachian county of residence and exposure to ACE. As the sample of low birth weight deliveries was small, it is recommended that the relationship between ACE exposure and low birth weight be further studied to develop more purposeful health interventions to improve maternal health in Appalachia, Ohio specifically, as well as other rural communities. Reducing rates of adverse birth outcomes and chronic disease burden in Appalachia have potential to reduce health disparities between urban and Appalachian communities, allowing for positive social change for many socioeconomically disadvantaged communities and improving population health.

The goals of present study were: (a) to examine associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and telomere length during childhood using ACE composite scores both with and without “new” adversities (i.e., parental death and poverty), and (b) to determine if ACEs indirectly affect telomere length through children’s self-regulatory abilities (i.e., effortful control and self-control). The analytic sample consisted of national data from teachers, biological parents, and their children (N = 2,527; Mage = 9.35, SD = .36 years; 52% male; 45% Black). Results from linear regression analyses revealed a statistically significant main effect of updated (but not traditional) ACEs on child telomere length, controlling for hypothesized covariates, although the additional amount of variance explained by ACEs was negligible. Results from mediation analyses revealed an indirect effect of ACEs on child telomere length through self-control, assessed via a teacher-reported Social Skills Rating System, but not effortful control. While longitudinal studies are needed to strengthen claims of causation, the present study clarifies the association between ACEs and telomere length during middle childhood, and identifies a pathway from ACEs to changes in telomere length that should be explored further.

Background: For decades, researchers have been striving to better understand the complex mix of factors underlying post-combat mental illness, in the hope of enabling better outcomes for military personnel. This study focuses on investigating the behavior and possible interaction of two risk factors for poor mental health post-deployment to a combat mission: adverse childhood experience (ACE) and deployment-related stressful experience (DRSE). Methods: A longitudinal dataset linking data from 3302 military personnel at recruitment to data collected post-deployment to Canada’s mission in Afghanistan was analysed, using novel scoring systems for exposure classification. Results: Significant ACE-DRSE interaction terms were found in relation to SF-36 MCS, depression and suicidal ideation: the negative effect DRSE had on mental health outcomes was amplified as ACE levels increased. Conclusion: Individuals with a history of childhood adversity are more susceptible to the negative mental health impacts of stressful experiences during deployment to a combat zone.