Cited by 535Child Abuse and TraumaChild Welfare and AdoptionChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

Adverse childhood experiences and behavioral problems in middle childhood

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Hunt, Tenah K.A., Slack, Kristen S., Berger, Lawrence M.·2017·Child Abuse & Neglect

Abstract

Children who have been exposed to maltreatment and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are at increased risk for various negative adult health outcomes, including cancer, liver disease, substance abuse, and depression. However, the proximal associations between ACEs and behavioral outcomes during the middle childhood years have been understudied. In addition, many of the ACE studies contain methodological limitations such as reliance on retrospective reports and limited generalizability to populations of lower socioeconomic advantage. The current study uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a national urban birth cohort, to prospectively assess the adverse experiences and subsequent behavior problems of over 3000 children. Eight ACE categories to which a child was exposed by age 5 were investigated: childhood abuse (emotional and physical), neglect (emotional and physical), and parental domestic violence, anxiety or depression, substance abuse, or incarceration. Results from bivariate analyses indicated that Black children and children with mothers of low education were particularly likely to have been exposed to multiple ACE categories. Regression analyses showed that exposure to ACEs is strongly associated with externalizing and internalizing behaviors and likelihood of ADHD diagnosis in middle childhood. Variation in these associations by racial/ethnic, gender, and maternal education subgroups are examined. This study provides evidence that children as young as 9 begin to show behavioral problems after exposure to early childhood adversities.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.chiabu.2016.11.005

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Authors
Hunt, T. K. A., Slack, K. S., & Berger, L. M.
Affiliations
University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
Corresponding author
Hunt, Tenah K.A.
Venue
Child Abuse & Neglect
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2017-05
Volume
67
Pages
391-402
ISSN
0145-2134 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2553961423
Cited by
535
References
51
Citations by year
2026: 28 · 2025: 57 · 2024: 76 · 2023: 95 · 2022: 64 · 2021: 81 · 2020: 51 · 2019: 55 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 1
FWCI
35.85
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Child Abuse & Neglect (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD36916, R01HD39135, R01HD40421)
  • Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Child Welfare and Adoption
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Keywords
adverse childhood experiences, child abuse, childhood abuse, child neglect, maternal substance abuse, maternal incarceration, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, externalizing problems, internalizing problems, middle childhood, racial and ethnic differences, maternal education, Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study
MeSH terms
Problem Behavior, Exposure to Violence, Black or African American, Child, Child Abuse, Child Behavior Disorders, Child, Preschool, Depression, Educational Status, Female, Humans, Life Change Events, Male, Parents, Risk Factors, Substance-Related Disorders

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