THE IMPACT OF ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES IN SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS

The purpose of the following study is to explore and examine the connection between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and well-being of social work students at an undisclosed Southern California university. A quantitative study was conducted which included the responses from 89 students at the undisclosed university. Participants were administered two questionnaires via a Qualtrics online survey. One questionnaire measured the number of ACEs a participant had experienced in childhood. The second questionnaire measured the participant’s current level of well-being. The study’s results revealed that overall, social work students experience greater ACE scores as compared to the general population. However, despite experiencing higher than average ACE scores, the participants reported higher levels of well-being than the general population. This is contrary to what the researchers expected to discover in the research in that higher ACE scores did not correlate with lower well-being scores. By addressing the impact of ACEs on well-being for students who are preparing to enter the professional fields of social work, these future social workers may be able to manage future stressors and challenges they encounter and provide best practices as social workers