A systematic review of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with people with intellectual disabilities: an unsafe gap in the literature

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chloe Crompton ◽  
Bethany Duncan ◽  
Graham Simpson-Adkins

Purpose This paper aims to systematically review the available evidence that explores adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in people with intellectual disabilities (PwID). It is important to systematically review this literature as, to date, there is little known about the number of studies in this area, despite the World Health Organization declaring ACE prevention and support as a global public health priority. Design/methodology/approach Published studies were identified from electronic database searches. Key journals and reference lists were also hand searched. Findings Two studies met the inclusion criteria and the prevalence and frequency of ACEs experienced by participants of these studies analysed. Overall, due to the small number of studies meeting the inclusion criteria, it is difficult to establish any meaningful conclusions. Originality/value This appears to be the first systematic review to try and identify a research base looking at the prevalence of ACEs within a PwID population. Findings suggest that this is a highly neglected area of research, and the authors hope to have identified that further evidence is required to draw clearer conclusions about the impact of ACEs on PwID.

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 181-197
Author(s):  
Deborah J. Morris ◽  
Elanor Lucy Webb ◽  
Emma Parmar ◽  
Grace Trundle ◽  
Anne McLean

Purpose People with developmental disorders are significantly more likely to experience adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), although the impact of ACEs on this population is not well understood. Furthermore, considerably less is known about the exposure to, and impact of, ACEs in detained adolescents with complex developmental disorder needs. This paper aims to explore the exposure to ACEs in an adolescent population detained in a secure specialist developmental disorder service. Design/methodology/approach A retrospective file review was used to explore ACEs and placement histories within a specialist developmental disorder inpatient service. Data was collated for a convenience sample of 36 adolescents, 9 of whom were female, aged 13–20 years (M = 17.28 years). Findings A total of 33 participants (91.7%) had experienced at least 1 ACE, with 58% experiencing 4 or more ACEs and 36% experiencing 6 or more ACEs. The most common ACEs reported were physical abuse (61.6%), parental separation (58.3%) and emotional abuse (55.6%). The majority of participants had also experienced high levels of disruption prior to admission, with an average of four placement breakdowns (range 1–13, standard deviation = 3.1). ACEs held a significant positive association with the total number of placement breakdowns and total number of mental health diagnoses. Practical implications Adolescents detained in specialist developmental disorder secure care had, at the point of admission, experienced high levels of adversities and had been exposed to high levels of experienced and observed abuse. The level of exposure to adversity and ongoing disruptions in care suggests that Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services’ developmental secure services should consider adopting dual treatment frameworks of developmental disorder and trauma-informed care. Originality/value This study explored the early-life and placement experiences of a marginalised and understudied population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 115
Author(s):  
Satwika Rahapsari

There has been little research in Indonesia about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE). Whereas, research on this topic is urgently needed as the baseline for a national evidence-based child protection policy. Even though the worldwide prevalence of ACE is high, there is no comprehensive study in the Indonesian context in regards to ACE identification and the impact on the survivors’ mental and physical health. Therefore, an ACE screening instrument is urgently needed as the first step for conducting research on this topic. This research aims to examine the validity and reliability of the WHO ACE-IQ or the World Health Organization Adverse Childhood Experience International Questionnaire as an ACE screening instrument in Indonesia. The researcher conducted a cross-sectional survey in 240 participants aged 18-65 years old using an online self-administered questionnaire. The outcome of this research is the Indonesian adapted WHO ACE-IQ is able to provide a reliable, accurate, and valid score of ACE in the Indonesian adult population


Author(s):  
Jessica Vervoort-Schel ◽  
Gabriëlle Mercera ◽  
Inge Wissink ◽  
Emmelie Mink ◽  
Peer van der Helm ◽  
...  

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are negative childhood events occurring in a child’s family or social environment, that may cause harm or distress. Children with intellectual disabilities (ID) and their families are underrepresented in international ACEs research, while current insights can also contribute to the improvement of their health and well-being. Deficiencies in intellectual and adaptive functioning and living circumstances can increase their vulnerability to adversities. In the present exploratory study 69 case-files of children referred to a Dutch national center for residential youth care for children with ID were analyzed to assess the prevalence and associations of ACEs. It was found that almost half (49.3%) of the children experienced 2 ACEs from the original ACEs framework or more (M (mean) = 2.1; SD (standard deviation) = 1.8) and that the number of ACEs in children was related to the presence of ACEs in parents. Both child and parental ACEs were also related to attachment- and trauma- and stressor-related disorders. Finally, living circumstances and multiple ACEs from the expanded ACEs framework, especially related to parental characteristics, were found to be related to ACEs in children with ID. This implicates the importance of a transgenerational approach when further investigating the impact of ACEs on mental and physical health in children with ID (intellectual disabilities).


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S235-S235
Author(s):  
Jooyoung Kong ◽  
Yin Liu ◽  
David Almeida

Abstract Extensive evidence suggests that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can lead to negative health effects across a lifetime. This study examines the impact of ACEs on the frequency of providing daily support (i.e., unpaid assistance, emotional support, and disability-related assistance) to family members and the moderating effects of ACEs in the association between providing daily support to family and daily negative affect. Using the National Study of Daily Experiences II, we analyzed a total of 14,912 daily interviews from 2,022 respondents aged 56 on average. Key results showed that a greater number of ACEs were associated with providing more frequent emotional support to family. We also found the significant interaction effect that adults with more ACEs showed greater negative affect on the days when they provided assistance to family members with disabilities. The findings underscore the long-term negative impact of ACEs on daily well-being in the context of family relationships.


2021 ◽  
Vol 117 ◽  
pp. 105088
Author(s):  
Zhao Hu ◽  
Atipatsa Chiwanda Kaminga ◽  
Jun Yang ◽  
Jiefeng Liu ◽  
Huilan Xu

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