Skip to main content

80.5 Percent of Teens Experience at Least One Adverse Childhood Experience

Medically reviewed by Judith Stewart, BPharm. Last updated on Oct 28, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Oct. 28, 2024 -- Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are very common among adolescents, with 80.5 percent experiencing at least one ACE, according to a study published online Oct. 28 in Pediatrics.

Using data from 16 states, Elizabeth A. Swedo, M.D., M.P.H., from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues estimated the prevalence of eight individual and cumulative ACEs among a large population-based sample of adolescents overall and by demographic characteristics.

The researchers found that emotional abuse, household poor mental health, and physical abuse had the highest prevalence (65.8, 36.1, and 32.5 percent, respectively). Overall, 80.5 and 22.4 percent of adolescents experienced at least one ACE and four or more ACEs, respectively. Adolescents who were female (27.7 percent), non-Hispanic multiracial (33.7 percent), non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native (27.1 percent), gay or lesbian (36.5 percent), or bisexual (42.1 percent) or who described their sexual identity some other way or were not sure of their sexual identity (questioning; 36.5 percent) had the highest prevalence of experiencing four or more ACEs.

"Differences in the experiences of ACEs by students belonging to racial, ethnic, or sexual minority groups highlight the need to tailor prevention and mitigation efforts to different social and cultural contexts, rather than employing a universal approach to prevention and intervention, to better support groups disproportionately impacted by ACEs," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

American College of Surgeons, Oct. 19-22

The annual meeting of the American College of Surgeons was held this year from Oct. 19 to 22 in San Francisco and attracted participants from around the world, including...

USPSTF Recommends Screening for Domestic Violence in Pregnant, Postpartum Women

TUESDAY, Oct. 29, 2024 -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for intimate partner violence (IPV) in pregnant and postpartum women and women of...

Different Forms of Childhood Adversity Tied to Different Psychiatric Problems

FRIDAY, Oct. 25, 2024 -- Distinct forms of traumatic and adverse childhood experiences (TRACEs) differentially moderate developmental changes in psychiatric risk and cognitive...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.