Adverse Childhood Experiences of Low-Income Urban Youth

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Current assessments of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may not adequately encompass the breadth of adversity to which low-income urban children are exposed. The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize the range of adverse childhood experiences faced by young adults who grew up in a low-income urban area. METHODS: Focus groups were conducted with young adults who grew up in low-income Philadelphia neighborhoods. Using the nominal group technique, participants generated a list of adverse childhood experiences and then identified the 5 most stressful experiences on the group list. The most stressful experiences identified by participants were grouped into a ranked list of domains and subdomains. RESULTS: Participants identified a range of experiences, grouped into 10 domains: family relationships, community stressors, personal victimization, economic hardship, peer relationships, discrimination, school, health, child welfare/juvenile justice, and media/technology. Included in these domains were many but not all of the experiences from the initial ACEs studies; parental divorce/separation and mental illness were absent. Additional experiences not included in the initial ACEs but endorsed by our participants included single-parent homes; exposure to violence, adult themes, and criminal behavior; personal victimization; bullying; economic hardship; and discrimination. CONCLUSIONS: Gathering youth perspectives on childhood adversity broadens our understanding of the experience of stress and trauma in childhood. Future work is needed to determine the significance of this broader set of adverse experiences in predisposing children to poor health outcomes as adults.

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Commitment Offense, and Race/Ethnicity: Are the Effects Crime-, Race-, and Ethnicity-Specific?

“…For instance, in the United States there is extraordinary heterogeneity of background experiences among delinquents in addition to sharply divergent local life circumstances and socioeconomic backgrounds by race and ethnicity [22,23,24,25,26], which have been demonstrated to affect adverse childhood experience wherein juvenile offenders residing in more disadvantaged communities evidence greater exposures. Prior criminological research has shown that disaggregated analyses by race and ethnicity are a fruitful way to understand different pathways of offending [27,28,29].…”

Fear conditioned responses and PTSD symptoms in children: Sex differences in fear‐related symptoms

“…However, very little is known about fear conditioning in children with PTSD symptoms. Given the prevalence of trauma in low-income, inner-city families, exposure to trauma may begin early in life; studies from such samples suggest that initial trauma exposure during childhood or adolescence is common (Beesdo, Knappe, & Pine, 2009; Wade, Shea, Rubin, & Wood, 2014). Childhood trauma exposure has long-term negative consequences on mental health: early-life stress is a predictor of adult depression, while childhood and adult trauma are both predictors of PTSD (Nemeroff et al, 2006).…”

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resilience: Addressing the Unique Needs of Adolescents

“…Furthermore, emerging research demonstrates that current screenings for ACEs should be expanded to include other events that can impact youth's health and development, such as economic hardship, family relationships, community stressors, peer relationships, discrimination, and school experiences, 48 as well as resilience and protective factors. Clinical and community programs should implement strategies for the early identification of at-risk youth through comprehensive assessments beyond the traditional ACEs while balancing the time required for these comprehensive assessments.…”