The association of adverse childhood experiences with household income, educational attainment and partnered status among adults aged 30-39

Background: The association of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with young adult social outcomes is poorly understood. Objective: To examine the relationship between ACEs and young adult household income, education, and partnered status. Participants: 13,767 respondents (population-weighted esti...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Claire Fisher, Audrey Stillerman, Joe Feinglass
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-04-01
Series:Child Protection and Practice
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950193824000214
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Summary:Background: The association of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with young adult social outcomes is poorly understood. Objective: To examine the relationship between ACEs and young adult household income, education, and partnered status. Participants: 13,767 respondents (population-weighted estimate N = 13,191,291) aged 30–39 completed the optional ACES module in the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from 17 states. Methods: The 2019 BRFSS was used to analyze the significance of ACE scores for the likelihood of reporting household income greater than $75,000, a college or postgraduate degree, and living with a partner among respondents aged 30–39. Poisson regression analyses controlled for sociodemographic, health status, and behavioral risk characteristics. Results: As compared to those with zero ACEs, respondents reporting four or more ACE exposures (20.2% of respondents) were marginally less likely to report high income (IRR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.79–0.97) and one-third less likely to report a college degree (IRR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.61–0.76), with no significant difference in partnered status. Conclusions: Young adult social status may be shaped by social-emotional effects of ACEs that go beyond demographic and health status differences. Enhancing resilience to childhood adversity can benefit from a trauma-informed approach in health care, education, and employment.
ISSN:2950-1938