adverse childhood experience

A cross-sectional survey was administered to 10,546 7th‒12th grade students in northeastern Ohio in Spring 2018. Study measures included self-reported lifetime exposure to 10 ACEs and past 30 day use of nonmedical prescription opioid or heroin. Using generalized estimating equations, we evaluated associations between recent opioid misuse, individual ACEs, and cumulative number of ACEs. We calculated population attributable fractions (PAF) to determine the proportion of adolescents’ recent opioid misuse attributable to ACEs.

Results

Nearly one in 50 adolescents reported opioid misuse within 30 days (1.9%); ∼60% of youth experienced ≥1 ACE; 10.2% experienced ≥5 ACEs. Cumulative ACE exposure demonstrated a significant graded relationship with opioid misuse. Compared with youth with zero ACEs, youth with 1 ACE (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.9, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.9‒3.9), 2 ACEs (AOR: 3.8, CI: 1.9‒7.9), 3 ACEs (AOR: 3.7, CI: 2.2‒6.5), 4 ACEs (AOR: 5.8, CI: 3.1‒11.2), and ≥5 ACEs (AOR: 15.3, CI: 8.8‒26.6) had higher odds of recent opioid misuse. The population attributable fraction of recent opioid misuse associated with experiencing ≥1 ACE was 71.6% (CI: 59.8–83.5).

Conclusions

There was a significant graded relationship between number of ACEs and recent opioid misuse among adolescents. Over 70% of recent adolescent opioid misuse in our study population was attributable to ACEs. Efforts to decrease opioid misuse could include programmatic, policy, and clinical practice interventions to prevent and mitigate the negative effects of ACEs.

Author/s:

Swedo, E.A., Sumner, S.A., Fijter, S., Werhan, L., Norris, K., Beauregard, J.L., Montgomery, M.P., Rose, E.B., Hillis, S. D., Massetti, G.M.

Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Questionnaire and Resource Packet

Jeffrey Wilson — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 16:45:33 +0000

Date Added:

October 18, 2018

Publisher:

The Child & Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative

Publication Date:

October 18, 2018

Type:

Clinical Decision Aids, Practice Management Research Results

Format:

Article

Keywords

ACE

children

child

adverse childhood experience

patient health questionnaire

MeSH

patient health questionnaire

ACE

children

child

adverse childhood experience

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are strong predictors of subsequent adverse health outcomes. Helping patients deal with the effects of ACEs can be very helpful. This is a summary of information about ACEs and a screening test that can be used to reveal and quantify ACEs.

Free full text

What is the role of healthcare providers?
The healthcare system is a natural place to respond to ACEs and promote resilience in children,
youth and families. Guidelines for well childcare are extensive in the early years – 13 visits in
the first three years of lifei --, which is a crucial period of child development. Health systems,
and in particular pediatric providers, are in a unique position to identify issues for both children
and their families that contribute to either promoting or inhibiting healthy development. The
American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a policy statement in 2012 that encourages,
among other things, pediatricians to take a more proactive role in educating patients and
families about the impact of toxic stress and in advocating for the development of interventions
that mitigate its impact. ii

What is trauma-informed care?
Trauma-informed care encompasses three levels of focus from a systems level: addressing
policy and procedures, creating approaches for organizing and delivering services and providing
specific programs or interventions for families.

The federal agency Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has
outlined six principles for trauma informed care: (1) creating a culture of physical and
psychological safety for staff and the people they serve; (2) building and maintaining
trustworthiness and transparency among staff, clients and others involved with the
organization; (3) utilizing peer support to promote healing and recovery; (4) leveling the power
differences between staff and clients and among staff to foster collaboration and mutuality; (5)
cultivating a culture of empowerment, voice and choice that recognizes individual strengths,
resilience and an ability to heal from past trauma; and (6) recognizing and responding to the
cultural, historical and gender roots of trauma.