Parental adverse childhood experiences and sexually abused adolescents: Exploring the intergenerational relationship

Rebeca Bastón, Laura Quintanilla, Carlos Alexis Chimpén-López, M.Angeles López-González and María Cantero-García

Children and Youth Services Review, 2025, vol. 179, issue C

Abstract: This study examines the relationship between parental Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and both mental health and the characteristics of socio-affective relationships in adolescent survivors of sexual abuse. The sample included 27 families and 33 adolescents, selected through convenience sampling, all of whom were participants in the Intervention Program for Children and Adolescents Victims of Sexual Abuse by Fundación Meniños (Galicia). A retrospective ex post facto study with a descriptive scope was used. Data collection involved a sociodemographic questionnaire, the ACE-International Questionnaire, the Attachment Style Questionnaire and the Assessment System for Children and Adolescents. The results did not reveal significant associations between the total number of parental ACEs and the dimensions assessed in the Attachment Style Questionnaire or the problem scales in the Assessment System for Children and Adolescents. However, significant associations were found between specific types of ACEs and both variables. Furthermore, the analyses revealed differences in the association of maternal and paternal ACE with the aforementioned variables. Finally, a significant relationship was also found between attachment styles and adolescents’ mental health. These findings underscore the differential impact of ACEs depending on the type of adversity experienced and the parental gender, emphasizing the need for clinical approaches that integrate family dynamics as well as sociocultural and environmental factors. Future research should consider variables related to resilience and protective factors to deepen the understanding of the impact of parental ACEs on adolescents in highly vulnerable contexts, such as those affect by sexual abuse.

Keywords: Intergenerational trauma; Socio-affective relationships; Mental health; Attachment; Post-traumatic stress; Family; Parenting styles (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740925005286
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:179:y:2025:i:c:s0190740925005286

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108645

Access Statistics for this article

Children and Youth Services Review is currently edited by Duncan Lindsey

More articles in Children and Youth Services Review from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().