Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in Special Education Schools from a Multi-Informant Perspective

Evelyne C. P. Offerman, Michiel W. Asselman, Floor Bolling, Petra Helmond, Geert-Jan J. M. Stams and Ramón J. L. Lindauer
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Evelyne C. P. Offerman: Orion, Special Education, Bijlmerdreef 1289-2, 1103 TV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Michiel W. Asselman: Orion, Special Education, Bijlmerdreef 1289-2, 1103 TV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Floor Bolling: Orion, Special Education, Bijlmerdreef 1289-2, 1103 TV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Petra Helmond: Levvel, Academic Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Meibergdreef 5, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Geert-Jan J. M. Stams: Department of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 127, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Ramón J. L. Lindauer: Levvel, Academic Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Meibergdreef 5, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 6, 1-28

Abstract: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with an increased risk of developing severe emotional and behavioral problems; however, little research is published on ACEs for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in special education (SE) schools. We therefore systematically explored the prevalence, type and timing of ACEs in these students from five urban SE schools in the Netherlands ( M age = 11.58 years; 85.1% boys) from a multi-informant perspective, using students’ self-reports ( n = 169), parent reports ( n = 95) and school files ( n = 172). Almost all students experienced at least one ACE (96.4% self-reports, 89.5% parent reports, 95.4% school files), and more than half experienced four or more ACEs (74.5% self-reports, 62.7% parent reports, 59.9% school files). A large majority of students experienced maltreatment, which often co-occurred with household challenges and community stressors. Additionally, 45.9% of the students experienced their first ACE before the age of 4. Students with EBD in SE who live in poverty or in single-parent households were more likely to report multiple ACEs. Knowledge of the prevalence of ACEs may help understand the severe problems and poor long-term outcomes of students with EBD in SE.

Keywords: adverse childhood experiences; prevalence; multi-informant; emotional and behavioral disorders; students; special education schools; trauma-informed education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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