[Editor's note: Dr. Harise Stein at Stanford University edits a web site — abuseresearch.info — that focuses on the health effects of abuse, and includes research articles on ACEs. Every month, she posts the summaries of the abstracts and links to research articles that address only ACEs. So many research papers were published over the last month that we divided Research Corner into two parts. Thank you, Harise!! — Jane Stevens]
PACEs (positive and adverse childhood experiences)
Zhang L, Fang J, Zhang D, Wan Y, Gong C, Su P, Tao F, Sun Y. Poly-victimization and psychopathological symptoms in adolescence: Examining the potential buffering effect of positive childhood experiences. J Affect Disord. 2021 Mar 1;282:1308-1314. PMID: 33601709
For 2288 Chinese children followed from age 8 for 6 years, poly-victimization in childhood was highly predictive of adolescent depressive symptoms, oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder. Positive childhood experiences, particularly parental warmth and peer support, and having 4-5 positive influences, significantly decreased psychological symptom score.
Lei MK, Berg MT, Simons RL, Simons LG, Beach SRH.
Childhood adversity and cardiovascular disease risk: An appraisal of recall methods with a focus on stress-buffering processes in childhood and adulthood. Soc Sci Med. 2020 Feb;246:112794. PMID: 31945595
For 454 African Americans evaluated at age 10 and age 29, there was a significant link between childhood adversity and adult heart disease risk at age 29. Parental emotional support in adolescence, but not adulthood, buffered these effects of heart disease risk.
Benzies KM, Gasperowicz M, Afzal A, Loewen M.
Welcome to Parenthood is associated with reduction of postnatal depressive symptoms during the transition from pregnancy to 6 months postpartum in a community sample: a longitudinal evaluation. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2021 Jun;24(3):493-501. PMID: 33106944
“Welcome to Parenthood” is a Canadian program that includes parenting classes; 20 one-on-one mentoring visits during pregnancy and through six months; and a Baby Kit that includes parenting and infant books, essential layette and minor equipment such as a thermometer, and a baby mattress/box. Results of a study of 454 first-time mothers compared to usual care showed a very significant decrease in depressive symptoms and significantly better infant development. Women with higher ACEs had the greatest decrease in depressive symptoms.
Surveys
Afifi TO, Salmon S, Garcés I, et. al.
Confirmatory factor analysis of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among a community-based sample of parents and adolescents. BMC Pediatr. 2020 Apr 21;20(1):178. PMID: 32316954
Authors believe there is evidence for a reconceptualization of ACEs from 10 to 16, into 2 general categories.
Frameworks
Katz C, Priolo Filho SR, Korbin J, et. al.
Child maltreatment in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: A proposed global framework on research, policy and practice. Child Abuse Negl. 2021 Jun;116(Pt 2):104824. PMID: 33353782“
The current paper points to risk and protective factors that need further exploration…Discussion of risk and protective factors is significantly influenced by the societal context of various countries, which emphasizes the importance of international collaboration in protecting children, especially in the time of a worldwide pandemic.”
Other Related of Interest
Ortiz R, Kishton R, Sinko L, et. al.
Assessing Child Abuse Hotline Inquiries in the Wake of COVID-19: Answering the Call. JAMA Pediatr. 2021 May 3:e210525. PMID: 33938944
In this national study, overall inquiries by phone call and text message to a child abuse hotline increased in 2020 compared to a similar period in 2019, following a dramatic decrease with school closures and quarantine orders associated with the pandemic. “Nearly 96% of callers were adults (18 years and older), while most texters were younger than 18 years…Caller type differed between 2020 and 2019 as well, with a decrease in calls from school reporters (teachers, school personnel, and daycare personnel) and a smaller decrease from non-school-based mandated reporters (Child Protective Services workers, counselors, foster care providers, health care workers, and authorities). There was an increase in calls from neighbors or landlords, relatives, and friends.”
Montgomery E, Seng JS, Chang YS.
Co-production of an e-resource to help women who have experienced childhood sexual abuse prepare for pregnancy, birth, and parenthood. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2021 Jan 7;21(1):30. PMID: 33413222
“This paper describes the development of an innovative and accessible e-resource that is based on the words and experiences of survivors of childhood sexual abuse. It recognises the importance of control and feeling safe and aims to empower those who use the resource as they embark on pregnancy, birth, and parenthood.” https://www.thesurvivorstrust.org/pbpaftercsa
Girard M, Dugal C, Hébert M, Godbout N.
Is My Sex Life Ok? The Mediating Role of Sexual Anxiety in the Association between Childhood Sexual Abuse and Sexual Coercion against Women. J Child Sex Abus. 2020 Aug-Sep;29(6):717-733. PMID: 32529921
Of 448 adult women from the community, childhood sexual abuse was associated with higher levels of sexual anxiety. This vulnerability was, in turn, linked to a higher frequency of sexual coercion experiences perpetrated by a romantic partner.
Bluthenthal RN.
Structural racism and violence as social determinants of health: Conceptual, methodological and intervention challenges. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2021 May 1;222:108681. PMID: 33757711
Introduction to this special issue on the impact of structural racism focuses on opioid prescribing and treatment; racism, discrimination and stigma as important drivers of drug use patterns and health outcomes; and promising interventions. Table of contents and abstracts.
Myers WC, Lee E, Montplaisir R, et. al.
Revenge filicide: An international perspective through 62 cases. Behav Sci Law. 2021 Apr;39(2):205-215. PMID: 33611814
“Filicide is the purposeful killing of one or more children by a parent, step-parent, or other parental figure. Revenge filicide is a poorly understood, rare form of filicide in which a parent murders their child to cause emotional harm to the child's other parent.” Of 62 revenge filicide cases from nine countries perpetrators were about equally likely to be male or female, over half had an active mental disorder, and a history of domestic violence was common. “The mean victim age was 6 years. They were typically killed by asphyxiation, firearms, or knives, and preschool age children were targeted most frequently. In half of the cases, more than one child was murdered. Post-crime suicidal behavior was commonplace, and one-third of the sample died by suicide. Four revenge filicide subtypes were identified: rejection, custody/visitation dispute, infidelity/jealousy, and argument/conflict.”
Tiyyagura G, Bloemen EM, Berger R, et. al.
Seeing the Forest in Family Violence Research: Moving to a Family-Centered Approach. Acad Pediatr. 2020 Aug;20(6):746-752. PMID: 31991169
Rather than addressing different diseases of child, older adult, animal, and IPV, we believe that different professionals are all treating a single disease—family violence—using the different lenses, perspectives, and frames of their own experience. By developing a unified, integrated research paradigm to support unified, integrated systems of care delivery, we propose to re-frame these research communities.
Novins DK, Stoddard J, Althoff RR, et. al.
Editors' Note and Special Communication: Research Priorities in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Emerging From the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2021 May;60(5):544-554.e8. PMID: 33741474
An international expert panel presents a detailed research priority list relating to the impact of the pandemic on child and adolescent development and mental health.
Raja S, Rabinowitz EP, Gray MJ.
Universal screening and trauma informed care: Current concerns and future directions. Fam Syst Health. 2021 May 13. PMID: 33983761
“We review several clinical and methodological concerns associated with universal trauma screening in adult health care settings including: deciding which traumas to assess in which populations, integrating recall with current functioning to facilitate referrals, and guarding against adverse patient reactions and insurance discrimination. We outline potential implications for program development and future research including: adapting and refining screening tools, integrating patient preferences and privacy concerns into screening protocols, assessing resource limitations, and integrating public health advocacy into screening programs.”
Miller EA, Hee PJ, Bonner BL, Cherry AS.
Training Psychologists in Integrated Primary Care and Child Maltreatment: Trainee and Supervisor Perspectives on Lessons Learned. J Clin Psychol Med Settings. 2020 Sep;27(3):541-552. PMID: 31388847
Authors review strengths, challenges, and lessons learned from creating a training program designed to provide psychology trainees with specialized training “with a goal of providing a skill set to work within integrated primary care settings and the expertise needed to further efforts to address and prevent child maltreatment, as well as childhood adversity more broadly, and to improve outcomes for underserved populations.”
Bryce I, Pye D, Beccaria G, McIlveen P, Du Preez J.
A Systematic Literature Review of the Career Choice of Helping Professionals Who Have Experienced Cumulative Harm as a Result of Adverse Childhood Experiences. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2021 May 18:15248380211016016. PMID: 34000930
This research review explored the associations of cumulative harm and childhood trauma on career decision-making in people in the helping professions.
Hornor G, Quinones SG, Boudreaux D, et. al.
Building a Safe and Healthy America: Eliminating Corporal Punishment via Positive Parenting. J Pediatr Health Care. 2020 Mar-Apr;34(2):136-144. PMID: 31836354
“This article will summarize the research on the dangers of corporal punishment and the corresponding benefits of positive parenting. It defines positive parenting and offers resources pediatric health care providers can use to educate both themselves and caregivers about specific discipline techniques appropriate to each developmental stage.”
Segal L, Armfield JM, Gnanamanickam ES, et. al.
Child Maltreatment and Mortality in Young Adults. Pediatrics. 2021 Jan;147(1):e2020023416. PMID: 33318224
Of 331,254 Australian persons aged 16-33 years, 20% had contact with CPS as children. Persons with CPS contact had more than twice the death rate compared with persons with no CPS contact. For those with a history of CPS contact who died as adults, the incident rate from poisoning, alcohol and/or other substances was 4.82, and from suicide was 2.82. “Childhood maltreatment is a major underlying cause of potentially avoidable deaths in early adulthood.”
Lansford JE, Godwin J, McMahon RJ, et. al.
Early Physical Abuse and Adult Outcomes. Pediatrics. 2021 Jan;147(1):e20200873. PMID: 33318226
Using data from two studies following kindergarteners into adulthood, “Controlling for potential confounds, relative to participants who were not physically abused, adults who had been physically abused were more likely to have received special education services, repeated a grade, be receiving government assistance, score in the clinical range on externalizing or internalizing disorders, have been convicted of a crime in the past year, and reported poorer physical health.
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