scholarly journals The Relationship of Adulthood Chronic Disease and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Implications Regarding Prevention and Promotion in International Health

Author(s):  
Jordan Holter ◽  
Christine Marchionni ◽  
Bankim Bhatt

Several studies, including the innovative 1998 ACE Study by CDC-Kaiser Permanente, have assessed the association among adulthood chronic disease and the prevalence of maladaptive, health-harming behaviors including: excessive alcohol use, tobacco use, physical inactivity, psychiatric illness including suicidal ideation or attempts, promiscuous sexual behavior (>50 sex partners), history of STI/STD and severe obesity (obesity (BMI > 35 kg/m2)), subsequent to an individual’s exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Individuals that have encountered numerous instances of ACEs are almost twice as likely to die before the age of 75, demonstrating a dose-dependent relationship between the instances of ACEs and an increased morbidity/mortality in regard to chronic disease. This excerpt examines the contribution of ACEs to chronic disease and the consequential maladaptive behavior to said adversity, the consequential physiologic and biomolecular changes explained by the Biological Embedding of Childhood Adversity Model in addition to the implications of recounted ACEs on international health security in regard to concepts like conflict, displacement and food insecurity. The apparent association among adulthood chronic disease and ACEs demand changes that promote preventative processes as a means to address the implications these interconnections have on international health.

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
David W. Brown ◽  
Robert F. Anda

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, a collaborative effort between Kaiser Permanente (San Diego, CA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, GA), was designed to examine the long-term relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and a variety of health behaviors and outcomes in adulthood [1]. ACEs include childhood emotional, physical, or sexual abuse and household dysfunction during childhood. The ACE Study, based on chronic disease prevention and control models, proposes that ACEs influence social, emotional, and cognitive impairments which in turn increase the probability of adopting health risk behaviors that have been documented to influence the subsequent development of disease, disability, social problems, and ultimately premature death. We use the ACE pyramid to depict this concept (see www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/ace/pyramid.htm).


2021 ◽  
pp. 155982762110012
Author(s):  
Garry Egger ◽  
Andrew Binns ◽  
Bob Morgan ◽  
John Stevens

We have previously proposed a list of determinants (causes) of modern lifestyle-related chronic disorders, which provides a structure for the emerging discipline of lifestyle medicine. This consists of lifestyle factors with a common immune biomarker ( metaflammation) that interact in a systems fashion linked with chronic disease outcomes. We considered this to be a work in progress and later added 3 psychosocial determinants into the causal mix: meaninglessness, alienation, and loss of culture and identity (MAL). Here, we propose adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as deeper, or even more distal, disease drivers that may act directly or indirectly through MAL to influence later chronic disease. The links with metaflammation and the need for recognition of these embedded scars in the management of lifestyle-related health problems is discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua P. Mersky ◽  
ChienTi Plummer Lee

Abstract Background Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are associated with an array of health consequences in later life, but few studies have examined the effects of ACEs on women’s birth outcomes. Methods We analyzed data gathered from a sample of 1848 low-income women who received services from home visiting programs in Wisconsin. Archival program records from a public health database were used to create three birth outcomes reflecting each participant’s reproductive health history: any pregnancy loss; any preterm birth; any low birthweight. Multivariate logistic regressions were performed to test the linear and non-linear effects of ACEs on birth outcomes, controlling for age, race/ethnicity, and education. Results Descriptive analyses showed that 84.4% of women had at least one ACE, and that 68.2% reported multiple ACEs. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that cumulative ACE scores were associated with an increased likelihood of pregnancy loss (OR = 1.12; 95% CI = 1.08–1.17), preterm birth (OR = 1.07; 95% CI = 1.01–1.12), and low birthweight (OR = 1.08; 95% CI = 1.03–1.15). Additional analyses revealed that the ACE-birthweight association deviated from a linear, dose-response pattern. Conclusions Findings confirmed that high levels of childhood adversity are associated with poor birth outcomes. Alongside additive risk models, future ACE research should test interactive risk models and causal mechanisms through which childhood adversity compromises reproductive health.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-166
Author(s):  
Lisa S. Panisch ◽  
Karen A. Randolph ◽  
Shamra Boel-Studt

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) negatively affect biopsychosocial development and functioning across the lifespan. Social workers in generalist practice are likely to serve individuals with a history of childhood adversity. Currently, there is no standard requirement for the topic of ACEs to be addressed in baccalaureate social work education. Our teaching note addresses this gap in the curriculum by establishing a need for baccalaureate social work students to receive trauma-specific education early in their academic careers. Human Behavior in the Social Environment is proposed as a course in which this content can be easily incorporated. Recommendations for future directions are provided.


2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 2643-2653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Chilton ◽  
Molly Knowles ◽  
Jenny Rabinowich ◽  
Kimberly T Arnold

AbstractObjectiveAdverse childhood experiences, including abuse, neglect and household instability, affect lifelong health and economic potential. The present study investigates how adverse childhood experiences are associated with food insecurity by exploring caregivers’ perceptions of the impact of their childhood adversity on educational attainment, employment and mental health.DesignSemi-structured audio-recorded in-person interviews that included (i) quantitative measures of maternal and child health, adverse childhood experiences (range: 0–10) and food security using the US Household Food Security Survey Module; and (ii) qualitative audio-recorded investigations of experiences with abuse, neglect, violence and hunger over participants’ lifetimes.SettingHouseholds in Philadelphia, PA, USA.SubjectsThirty-one mothers of children <4 years old who reported low or very low household food security.ResultsTwenty-one caregivers (68 %) reported four or more adverse childhood experiences, and this severity was significantly associated with reports of very low food security (Fisher’s exact P=0·021). Mothers reporting emotional and physical abuse were more likely to report very low food security (Fisher’s exact P=0·032). Qualitatively, participants described the impact of childhood adverse experiences with emotional and physical abuse/neglect, and household substance abuse, on their emotional health, school performance and ability to maintain employment. In turn, these experiences negatively affected their ability to protect their children from food insecurity.ConclusionsThe associations between mothers’ adverse experiences in childhood and reports of current household food security should inspire researchers, advocates and policy makers to comprehensively address family hardship through greater attention to the emotional health of caregivers. Programmes meant to address nutritional deprivation and financial hardship should include trauma-informed approaches that integrate behavioural interventions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucinda Rachel Grummitt ◽  
Erin Veronica Kelly ◽  
Emma Louise Barrett ◽  
Katherine M Keyes ◽  
Nicola Clare Newton

BACKGROUND Adverse childhood experiences are prevalent robust risk factors for the development of substance use problems. However, less is known about the causal mechanisms that explain these relationships. While directly preventing adverse childhood experiences is ideal, it is not always possible. In such cases, the mechanisms themselves may be amenable to intervention, allowing for the effective prevention of problematic substance use among children exposed to adversity. Identifying such mechanisms is therefore a critical step for efforts aiming to reduce the high individual and societal burdens associated with substance use globally. OBJECTIVE This study aims to systematically identify and synthesize evidence on the modifiable mediators and moderators of the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and substance use outcomes in young people (age 10-24 years). METHODS A systematic review will be conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases to determine the modifiable mediators and moderators of the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and substance use in young people. Data from the review will be qualitatively synthesized, unless we identify a sufficient number of studies (at least five) that examine the same type of adversity (eg, physical or sexual abuse) and the same mediator/moderator, in which case a quantitative synthesis (meta-analysis) will be conducted. If a quantitative synthesis is warranted, standardized effect estimates of the indirect (mediated) effect between adverse childhood experiences and substance use outcomes will be combined using a random-effects meta-analysis. Mediators/moderators will be grouped according to a socioecological perspective, using the four levels of individual, interpersonal, community, and public policy/culture. RESULTS Electronic searches were completed in August 2019. A total of 4004 studies were included for screening after removing duplicates. After evaluating titles and abstracts against eligibility criteria, a further 3590 studies were excluded, leaving 415 studies for full-text screening. The results of the review are expected to be available by December 2020. CONCLUSIONS The mechanisms linking adverse childhood experiences and substance use outcomes in young people are vital targets for substance use prevention efforts. This review will provide evidence to inform the development of prevention strategies in order to interrupt the negative life trajectory that can begin with childhood adversity. CLINICALTRIAL PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42020148773; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020148773 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/22368


2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica M. Craig ◽  
Michael T. Baglivio ◽  
Kevin T. Wolff ◽  
Alex R. Piquero ◽  
Nathan Epps

Research from multiple disciplines has reported that exposure to childhood traumatic events, often referred to as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), increases an individual’s chances of experiencing a wide variety of negative consequences such as chronic disease, unemployment, and involvement in serious, violent, and chronic offending. The current study assesses how protective factors from social bonds may moderate the relationship between ACEs and future offending in a sample of high-risk adjudicated youth. While results showed that increased ACE exposure led to a higher likelihood of rearrest and more social bonds lowered the likelihood of rearrest, in contrast to expectations, the analyses revealed that stronger social bonds did not reduce the deleterious effects of exposure to more types of ACEs on recidivism. A discussion of these findings is offered, along with study limitations and future directions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 266-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carryl P. Navalta ◽  
Lesley McGee ◽  
Jolene Underwood

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study provided compelling evidence that abuse, neglect, and other ACEs are the most potent risk factors for the development of health, mental health, and substance use problems. Such negative health-related outcomes parallel the cumulative exposure of the developing brain to the stress response, with resulting impairment in multiple brain structures and functions. Collectively, these sequelae can manifest during childhood, adolescence, or adulthood. We and others have posited that counseling and other psychotherapeutic interventions need to address the individual's multilayered ecology (i.e., biological, psychological, social, cultural/contextual). Neurocounseling can provide a heuristic framework to more effectively assess, conceptualize, and counsel people with a history of ACEs. We provide an update of the clinical neuroscience of ACEs and its implications for counseling, including how contemporary interventions (e.g., mindfulness) can potentially have positive benefits for such individuals.


2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (12) ◽  
pp. 1967-1978 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. L. Fisher ◽  
P. B. Jones ◽  
P. Fearon ◽  
T. K. Craig ◽  
P. Dazzan ◽  
...  

BackgroundChildhood adversity has been associated with onset of psychosis in adulthood but these studies have used only general definitions of this environmental risk indicator. Therefore, we sought to explore the prevalence of more specific adverse childhood experiences amongst those with and without psychotic disorders using detailed assessments in a large epidemiological case-control sample (AESOP).MethodData were collected on 182 first-presentation psychosis cases and 246 geographically matched controls in two UK centres. Information relating to the timing and frequency of exposure to different types of childhood adversity (neglect, antipathy, physical and sexual abuse, local authority care, disrupted living arrangements and lack of supportive figure) was obtained using the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire.ResultsPsychosis cases were three times more likely to report severe physical abuse from the mother that commenced prior to 12 years of age, even after adjustment for other significant forms of adversity and demographic confounders. A non-significant trend was also evident for greater prevalence of reported severe maternal antipathy amongst those with psychosis. Associations with maternal neglect and childhood sexual abuse disappeared after adjusting for maternal physical abuse and antipathy. Paternal maltreatment and other forms of adversity were not associated with psychosis nor was there evidence of a dose–response effect.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that only specific adverse childhood experiences are associated with psychotic disorders and only in a minority of cases. If replicated, this greater precision will ensure that research into the mechanisms underlying the pathway from childhood adversity to psychosis is more fruitful.


Epigenomics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 1239-1255
Author(s):  
Bernardo J Krause ◽  
Rocio Artigas ◽  
Andres F Sciolla ◽  
James Hamilton

Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) impair health and life expectancy and may result in an epigenetic signature that drives increased morbidity primed during early stages of life. This literature review focuses on the current evidence for epigenetic-mediated programming of brain and immune function resulting from ACE. To address this aim, a total of 88 articles indexed in PubMed before August 2019 concerning ACE and epigenetics were surveyed. Current evidence partially supports epigenetic programming of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, but convincingly shows that ACE impairs immune function. Additionally, the needs and challenges that face this area are discussed in order to provide a framework that may help to clarify the role of epigenetics in the long-lasting effects of ACE.


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