Original title: The longitudinal co-development of adverse childhood experiences and child internalizing problems: Examining sociodemographic disparities
The study follows at-risk children at ages 3, 5, and 9. It tracks adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, and internalizing problemsEmotional or psychological difficulties that a child experiences inwardly., meaning difficulties such as emotional distress. Some children had fairly steady levels of ACEs, while their emotional problems could rise or fall. More ACEs were linked with more internalizing problems, and children of color and children from low-income backgrounds were more likely to have worse patterns.
Imagine keeping track of how much trouble a child has at home and how they feel inside as they grow up. One child’s home troubles may stay at a similar level while their feelings get better or worse, and children in some circumstances may face more of both. In this paper, the changing records of trouble and feelings stand for children’s ACEs and emotional problems across childhood.
Children facing more adverse experiences may also face more internalizing problems, such as difficulties with emotions. The study finds that children of color and children from low-income backgrounds were more likely to follow worse patterns, pointing to the need for support that addresses both trauma and inequity.
The abstract does not establish that ACEs cause internalizing problems; it reports only some evidence for a dose–response relationship. It describes at-risk youth at ages 3, 5, and 9, so it does not establish patterns for all children or for other ages. It does not specify which particular experiences or interventions account for the findings.
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The longitudinal co-development of adverse childhood experiences and child internalizing problems: Examining sociodemographic disparities — Cynthia M. Navarro Flores, Melanie M. Domenech Rodríguez, Brenna Gomer et al. — Development and Psychopathology — doi:10.1017/s0954579426101965
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.