Risk-Taking Propensity and Sensation Seeking in Survivors of Adverse Childhood Experiences

2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051987603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Babad ◽  
Amanda Zwilling ◽  
Kaitlin Walsh Carson ◽  
Victoria Fairchild ◽  
Shanna Razak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Family Member ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽  
Sensation Seeking ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Adverse Childhood

Risk-taking propensity and sensation seeking are developmentally meaningful traits for emerging adults, individuals ages 18 to 25 years. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) of childhood abuse and neglect, exposure to domestic violence, residing with a substance abusing or mentally ill caregiver, and growing up with an incarcerated family member negatively impact the well-being of emerging adults. However, the specific association between ACEs and risk-taking propensity and sensation seeking has not been previously examined in this age group. This study aims to determine whether ACEs are individually or cumulatively related to risk-taking propensity (assessed by the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking Scale) and sensation seeking (assessed by the Behavior Inhibition System/Behavior Approach System Scales) in a diverse sample of undergraduates, n = 436; Mage = 19.73 years ( SD = 1.83 years); 67% female; 22% Hispanic. Multivariate ordinary least squares regressions were run to examine the association between ACEs and risk-taking propensity and sensation seeking. Individually, emotional abuse predicted greater inhibition ( B = .28, p < .001), growing up with a mentally ill family member ( B = –.12, p < .05) and emotional neglect ( B = –.13, p < .05) predicted reduced motivation to pursue rewarding cues, and emotional neglect ( B = –.12, p < .05) and witnessing domestic violence ( B = –.10, p < .05) predicted less reward responsiveness. No cumulative effects were found. ACEs related to environmental instability may have a unique impact on sensation seeking domains in emerging adults. Clarifying the role of sensation seeking in emerging adults can contribute to better understanding of risk and resilience factors in this vulnerable population.

scholarly journals Is exposure to family member incarceration during childhood linked to diabetes in adulthood? Findings from a representative community sample

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 205031212090516
Author(s):  
Bradley A White ◽  
Keri J West ◽  
Esme Fuller-Thomson
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Family Member ◽  
Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
The United States ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Adverse Childhood ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Objectives: Diabetes is a prevalent and serious public health problem, particularly among older adults. A robust literature has shown that adverse childhood experiences contribute to the development of health problems in later life, including diabetes. Family member incarceration during childhood is an under-investigated yet increasingly common adverse childhood experience in the United States. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between family member incarceration during childhood and diabetes in adulthood, while considering the role of gender as well as the impact of a range of potential confounds. Methods: A large representative community sample of adults aged 40 and older (n = 8790 men, 14,255 women) was drawn from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2012 optional adverse childhood experiences module to investigate the association between family member incarceration during childhood and diabetes. For each gender, nine logistic regression analyses were conducted using distinct clusters of variables (e.g. socioeconomic status and health behaviors). Results: Among males, the odds of diabetes among those exposed to family member incarceration during childhood ranged from 2.00 to 1.59. In the fully adjusted model, they had elevated odds of 1.64 (95% confidence interval = 1.27, 2.11). Among women, the odds of diabetes was much lower, hovering around 1.00. Conclusion: Findings suggest that family member incarceration during childhood is associated with diabetes in men, even after adjusting for a wide range of potential risk factors (e.g. sociodemographics, health behaviors, healthcare access, and childhood risk factors). Future research should explore the mechanisms linking family member incarceration during childhood and long-term negative health outcomes in men.

scholarly journals ‘Steeling’ Young People: Resilience and Youth Policy in Scotland

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 479-489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Davidson ◽  
Eric Carlin
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Order ◽  
Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Policy Discourse ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Youth Policy ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Adverse Childhood

This article examines the growth of resilience-focused youth policy in Scotland, and its association with the proliferation of the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) agenda. To do this, it critically compares policy discourse with qualitative data on young people’s experiences of growing up in two similar, low-income neighbourhoods. This combination leads us to problematise resilience-informed practice, relative to the voices of young people. Our review demonstrates that by emphasising individual protective factors, resilience discourse reframes inequalities embedded within certain neighbourhoods, and the specific impacts on young people who live there. The consequence is not an assets-based youth policy that supports all young people, but rather a form of resilience which promotes the ‘steeling’ of young people; making them stronger and more resistant to adversities. These adversities, we conclude, may be preventable within a more just social order.

Multiple Maltreatment and Adverse Childhood Experiences: Exploring Cumulative Threats to Attachment Quality

2020 ◽  
pp. VV-D-19-00158
Author(s):  
James E. Barnett ◽  
Tasha R. Howe
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Cumulative Risk ◽  
Screening Tools ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Attachment Quality ◽  
Adverse Childhood ◽  
Poor Outcomes ◽  
Socioemotional Outcomes

Child maltreatment and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) often cooccur and are related to negative socioemotional outcomes; however, limited research differentiates how maltreatment versus other ACEs predict such outcomes. These efforts are necessary to determine whether cumulative ACE screening efforts best predict those at risk for poor outcomes. We examined cumulative childhood ACEs, cumulative maltreatment subtypes, and adult attachment quality in 379 young and middle-aged adults. This sample enabled comparison between emerging adults and older adults who have navigated additional developmental tasks that may counteract the effects of early ACEs. More ACEs and maltreatment experiences predicted insecure anxious, avoidant, and fearful attachment styles; however, maltreatment failed to predict unique variance in attachment quality beyond other ACEs. Results suggest that maltreatment may be best categorized as part of a general cumulative risk profile predicting poor socioemotional outcomes. Findings support burgeoning trends in medical and social service settings assessing ACEs using simple dichotomous screening tools to identify those requiring intervention and support services.

scholarly journals Adverse childhood experiences and substance use among Hispanic emerging adults in Southern California

2015 ◽  
Vol 50 ◽  
pp. 199-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon-Patrick Allem ◽  
Daniel W. Soto ◽  
Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati ◽  
Jennifer B. Unger
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Adverse Childhood

scholarly journals GRANDPARENTS’ ROLES IN THE CONTEXT OF ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES: THE VOICES OF EMERGING ADULTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S628-S628
Author(s):  
Athena Chung Yin Chan ◽  
Doris Leung ◽  
Bessie Chan ◽  
Grace Wing Ka Ho
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Cultural Patterns ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Childhood Adversities ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Adverse Childhood ◽  
Living Together ◽  
Witnessing Domestic Violence

Abstract The influence of grandparents, in the context of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), is largely understudied. With strong kinship in Asian families, grandparents may provide a crucial resource to their grandchildren; not limited to those living together, but having close emotional proximity. This qualitative study used secondary analysis to explore the roles of grandparents, upon reflection of participants’ childhood adversities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 emerging adults, between 18 and 24 years old in Hong Kong, China. Participants were eligible if they: (1) reported at least one ACE, namely, abuse (physical, emotional, sexual), neglect (physical, emotional), witnessing domestic violence, or a dysfunctional household (due to parental divorce/death, household member substance use, incarceration, mental illness); and (2) described their interactions with grandparents during the interviews. Participants were asked to think of a challenging time during their childhood, and strategies they used to overcome them. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data regarding the interactions with grandparents were coded and analyzed by four researchers following interpretive description. Preliminary findings described four primary roles grandparents played in the context of ACEs, which were sometimes positive and/or negative. Grandparents were portrayed as being unique persons in participants’ lives that influenced how they faced their childhood adversities. We will discuss how grandparents’ stewardship may significantly shape cultural patterns of how families cope with ACEs. In particular, our findings, examined against literature, will discuss how grandparents may enhance resilience of young people with ACEs.

scholarly journals Adverse Childhood Experiences and HIV Sexual Risk-Taking Behaviors Among Young Adults in Malawi

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (11) ◽  
pp. 1710-1730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin VanderEnde ◽  
Laura Chiang ◽  
James Mercy ◽  
Mary Shawa ◽  
Justin Hamela ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Sexual Risk ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽  
Sexual Risk Taking ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
The Past ◽  
Adverse Childhood ◽  
Hiv Sexual Risk ◽  
Risk Taking Behaviors

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) exhibit a dose–response association with poor health outcomes in adulthood, including HIV. In this analysis, we explored the relationship between ACEs and HIV sexual risk-taking behaviors among young adults in Malawi. We analyzed responses from sexually active 19- to 24-year-old males and females ( n = 610) participating in the Malawi Violence Against Children Survey. We tested the association between respondents’ exposure to six ACEs (having experienced emotional, physical, or sexual violence; witnessing intimate partner violence or an attack in the community; one or both parents died) and infrequent condom use in the past year and multiple sexual partners in the past year. We used logistic regression to test the association between ACEs and these sexual risk-taking behaviors. A majority (82%) of respondents reported at least 1 ACE, and 29% reported 3+ ACEs. We found positive unadjusted associations between the number of ACEs (1-2 and 3+ vs. none) and both outcomes. In adjusted models, we found positive associations between the number of ACEs and infrequent condom use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.7, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.0, 7.8]; aOR: 3.7, CI: [1.3, 11.1]). Among young adults in Malawi, exposure to ACEs is positively associated, in a dose–response fashion, with engaging in some sexual risk-taking behaviors. HIV prevention efforts in Malawi may benefit from prioritizing programs and policies aimed at preventing and responding to violence against children.

scholarly journals Impact of adverse childhood experiences on alcohol use in emerging adults in Montenegro and Romania

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 129-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mina Brajović ◽  
Mark Bellis ◽  
Andreja Kukec ◽  
Nataša Terzić ◽  
Adriana Baban ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Final Model ◽  
Adverse Childhood ◽  
Physical Neglect

Abstract Background Aiming at generating evidence for formulating targeted and cost-effective public health interventions for the effective control of alcohol use (AU) in emerging adults in South Eastern Europe. The study’s objective was to assess if alcohol users experience adverse childhood experiences (ACE) more often than non-users, and to identify which ACE victims are the most vulnerable to AU. Methods The data was collected in 2010–2012 in two cross-sectional studies conducted in university settings in Montenegro and Romania (overall response rate 89.1%). In the present study, 3,283 students were included. The international ACE Study Questionnaires were used as a base for study instruments for collecting information on ACEs, health behaviours, and socio-economic factors. The association between AU and individual ACEs, adjusted to background factors, was assessed by using logistic regression. Results From the child maltreatment group, three ACEs were included in the final model as statistically significantly associated with AU, all of them from physical neglect/abuse types: frequently being hit so hard to have marks or being injured (OR=1.68; p=0.012), frequently being spanked (OR=1.38; p=0.012), and frequently having no person to take to the doctor if necessary (OR=0.58; p=0.031). From the household dysfunction group, two ACEs were included in the final model: exposure to mental health problems in the household (OR=2.85; p<0.001), and living with a problematic drinker/alcoholic (OR=1.51; p=0.019). Conclusions The effect of exposure to ACEs on AU persists into emerging adulthood. This should be considered when developing cost-effective response to AU burden through targeted interventions, in particular in settings with scarce resources.

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