Adverse Childhood Experiences and Their Association with Alcohol Abuse by Alaska Adults

Note: The PDF of this article includes a web supplement which did not appear in the original print version of the article.This article examines the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) — such as abuse and household dysfunction in childhood — and its association with adoption by Alaska adults of the health-risk behaviors of heavy and binge drinking. The behavioral health of Alaskans could be improved by addressing the association between ACEs and health-risk drinking behaviors, and establishing an integrated prevention system.[Introduction] / Adverse Childhood Experiences Linked to Adult Outcomes / How Adverse Experiences Impact the Developing Brain / ACEs and Risky Drinking: Definitions and Measurement / Results: ACEs and Risky Drinking in Alaska / Conclusion / [SIDEBARS] / Adult Health Outcomes of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) / Methodology and Odds Ratio Interpretation / References / [WEB SUPPLEMENT:] Adverse Childhood Experiences and Their Association with Alcohol Abuse by Alaska Adults — Statistical Web SupplementYe

Adverse Childhood Experiences: National and State-Level Prevalence

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that can have negative, lasting effects on health and well-being. These experiences range from physical, emotional, or sexual abuse to parental divorce or the incarceration of a parent or guardian. A growing body of research has sought to quantify the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences and illuminate their connection with negative behavioral and health outcomes, such as obesity, alcoholism, and depression, later in life. However, prior research has not reported on the prevalence of ACEs among children in a nationally representative, non-clinical sample. In this brief, we describe the prevalence of one or more ACEs among children ages birth through 17, as reported by their parents, using nationally representative data from the 2011/12 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). We estimate the prevalence of eight specific ACEs for the U.S., contrasting the prevalence of specific ACEs among the states and between children of different age groups

Disrupting the Path from Childhood Trauma to Juvenile Justice: An Upstream Health and Justice Approach

A groundbreaking public health study funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Kaiser Foundation found astoundingly high rates of childhood trauma, including experiences like abuse, neglect, parental substance abuse, mental illness, and incarceration. Hundreds of follow-up studies have revealed that multiple traumatic adverse childhood experiences (or “ACEs”) make it far more likely that a person will have poor mental health outcomes in adulthood, such as higher rates of depression, anxiety, suicide attempts, and substance abuse. Interestingly, the original ACE Study examined a largely middle-class adult population living in San Diego, but subsequent follow-up studies have examined the prevalence of ACEs and its impact on mental health in other populations, including among people involved in the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Unsurprisingly, individuals entangled in those systems are more likely to have experienced higher numbers of these traumatic events, despite a frequent lack of access to critical mental health treatment, including the treatment necessary to address past childhood trauma. The ACEs framework for understanding health and mental health outcomes resulting from childhood trauma has received a high level of attention recently following an in-depth, multi-part series on these issues by National Public Radio (NPR) and other media. Because the ACEs public health research shows us that events in childhood can cause “toxic stress” and have a lasting impact on the mental health of a child well into adulthood, this framework provides us with an opportunity to consider how to more effectively intervene to stop the pathway from ACEs to juvenile justice system involvement and address the related health, mental health, developmental, and legal needs of children and their families. Before a child becomes an adult facing a mental health crisis or incarceration, attorneys, doctors, and other professionals can collaborate to disrupt that fate. This Article argues for a more upstream approach to address mental health using a medical-legal collaboration, based on the experiences of the authors, a law professor and medical school professor who work together to try to improve outcomes for children who have experienced trauma and their families. In Part I, we begin by examining the groundbreaking ACE studies, exploring the toxic stress and health and mental health outcomes that are associated with high rates of ACEs in childhood. Next, in Part II, we analyze the research revealing high rates of trauma and ACEs among populations involved in the juvenile justice system. Finally, we conclude in Part III by arguing for a more upstream public health and justice approach. We examine a particular problem in the city of Albuquerque, the largest urban area in New Mexico: children who have a particular ACE right from birth in the form of substance abuse by a household member. These infants are born with prenatal drug exposure and many experience symptoms of withdrawal in their first weeks of life, often quickly followed by an accumulation of additional forms of early childhood trauma. We discuss an approach through which the authors work to address those issues and disrupt the path from that childhood trauma to poor outcomes and juvenile justice system involvement. This approach engages attorneys with doctors and other health and developmental professionals to address ACEs among young children ages zero to three and their siblings, parents, and other caregivers. We advocate for an early, holistic, multi-generational, multi-disciplinary public health and justice approach to address ACEs early and improve the trajectory for children who have experienced childhood trauma

The Traps Started During My Childhood : The Role of Substance Abuse in Women\u27s Responses to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

The gendered pathways perspective seeks to identify the biological, psychological, and social realities that lead to women’s law-breaking behavior. Prior research in this area demonstrates the link between women’s adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and involvement in the criminal justice system later in life. The current study fills an important gap in the literature by providing a phenomenological description of the impacts ACEs had upon 19 community supervised women’s lives. Their stories illuminate the need to consider multiple forms of ACEs, from physical and sexual abuse to the death of a loved one. Interviewees’ most prevalent response to ACEs was substance abuse. Three major themes related to their pathways to substance abuse emerged: coping/self-medication, escaping insecure households, and familial influences. Narratives were developed around each theme to provide an in-depth understanding of women’s ACEs and substance abuse. Theoretical and policy implications for women involved in the criminal justice system are discussed

Addressing Childhood Adversity and Social Determinants inPediatric Primary Care:Recommendations for New Hampshire

Research has clearly demonstrated the significant short- and long-term impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the social determinants of health (SDOH) on child health and well-being.1 Identifying and addressing ACEs and SDOH will require a coordinated and systems-based approach. Pediatric primary care* plays a critical role in this system, and there is a growing emphasis on these issues that may be impacting a family. As awareness of ACEs and SDOH grows, so too does the response effort within the State of New Hampshire. Efforts to address ACEs and the SDOH have been initiated by a variety of stakeholders, including non-profit organizations, community-based providers, and school districts. In late 2017, the Endowment for Health and SPARK NH funded the NH Pediatric Improvement Partnership (NHPIP) to develop a set of recommendations to address identifying and responding to ACEs and SDOH in NH primary care settings caring for children. Methods included conducting a review of literature and Key Informant Interviews (KII). Themes from these were identified and the findings are summarized in this report

Acoustic containerless experiment system: A non-contact surface tension measurement

The Acoustic Containerless Experiment System (ACES) was flown on STS 41-B in February 1984 and was scheduled to be reflown in 1986. The primary experiment that was to be conducted with the ACES module was the containerless melting and processing of a fluoride glass sample. A second experiment that was to be conducted was the verification of a non-contact surface tension measurement technique using the molten glass sample. The ACES module consisted of a three-axis acoustic positioning module that was inside an electric furnace capable of heating the system above the melting temperature of the sample. The acoustic module is able to hold the sample with acoustic forces in the center of the chamber and, in addition, has the capability of applying a modulating force on the sample along one axis of the chamber so that the molten sample or liquid drop could be driven into one of its normal oscillation modes. The acoustic module could also be adjusted so that it could place a torque on the molten drop and cause the drop to rotate. In the ACES, a modulating frequency was applied to the drop and swept through a range of frequencies that would include the n = 2 mode. A maximum amplitude of the drop oscillation would indicate when resonance was reached and from that data the surface tension could be calculated. For large viscosity samples, a second technique for measuring surface tension was developed. The results of the ACES experiment and some of the problems encountered during the actual flight of the experiment will be discussed

Web Note No. 18

In a recent analysis comparing the current oil production tax, More Alaska Production Act (MAPA, also known as SB 21) to the tax it replaced, Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share (ACES), Scott Goldsmith, professor emeritus of economics at ISER, found that MAPA would produce higher revenues in the future, if changing to MAPA causes producers to make investments that lead to more production than would have occurred under ACES.2 Professor Goldsmith did not advocate for either tax, but projected effects of each under a range of different future oil prices, production rates, and costs. He noted that comparative revenues are highly sensitive to future costs and oil prices. Oil prices are notoriously difficult to forecast. Future North Slope oil production, as well as lease costs that can be deducted from producers’ tax liabilities under both ACES and MAPA, are also highly uncertain. Proponents of either MAPA or ACES appear to make assumptions about prices, production, and costs that support their arguments. Given the inherent uncertainty about oil prices, new production, and expenditures for capital and operating costs, what assumptions would be most reasonable to make for assessing outcomes of the tax regimes? This note critically examines the relevant assumptions for projecting tax outcomes, and explores how the different taxes compare under a set of assumptions that seem most reasonable, given our best current information. The comparisons address not only the amount of revenue the state would collect, but also how the taxes differently share risk between the industry and the state, and administrative issues affecting the nature of the relationship between the oil industry and state government. The analysis also places the debate about MAPA vs. ACES in the longer term context of Alaska oil production taxes, comparing MAPA and ACES to the original petroleum profits tax (PPT) that preceded ACES, and to the old severance tax PPT replaced.Northrim Bank

Building Safe Families Through Educating on Adverse Childhood Experiences

Master's Project (M.Ed.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2018There is a strong correlation between families that work with child welfare agencies and the prevalence of maltreatment during childhood. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to poor health outcomes but are much more negatively correlated when 3 or more ACEs have been experienced during a childhood (Hunt, Slack & Berger, 2017; Crouch, Strompolis, Bennett, Morse, & Radcliff, 2017). Teaching parents about the impacts of ACEs and how they may more safely parent, can reduce the recidivism of future maltreatment in at-risk families who work with child welfare agencies. Education can give parents the power and motivation to make better decisions for themselves and for their families

Adverse Childhood Experiences in Medical Students: Implications for Wellness.

ObjectiveThe primary purpose of the study was to assess the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in a cohort of third-year medical students and characterize their childhood protective factors.MethodsThe authors developed a web-based anonymous survey distributed to all third-year medical students in one school (N = 98). The survey included the 10-item ACE Study questionnaire, a list of childhood protective factors (CPF) and questions to assess students' perception of the impact of ACEs on their physical and mental health. The medical school's IRB approved the student survey as an exempt study. The authors computed descriptive and comparative statistical analyses.ResultsEighty-six of 98 students responded (88% response rate). Forty-four students (51%) reported at least one ACE exposure and 10 (12%) reported ≥ 4 exposures. The latter were all female. The average difference in the ACE score between male and female medical students was - 1.1 (independent t test with unequal variances t(57.7) = - 2.82, P = .007). Students with an ACE score of ≥ 4 were significantly more likely to report a moderate or significant effect on their mental health, compared with students with scores ≤ 3 (chi-square test, P = < .0001). Most students reported high levels of CPF (median score = 13 of a maximum score = 14). ACEs and CPF were inversely associated (Pearson correlation = - 0.32, P = .003).ConclusionsA sizeable minority of medical students reported exposure to multiple ACEs. If replicated, findings suggest a significant vulnerability of these medical students to health risk behaviors and physical and mental health problems during training and future medical practice