Adverse Childhood Experiences and Chronic Diseases: Identifying a Cut-Point for ACE Scores

Fahad M. Alhowaymel (), Karen A. Kalmakis, Lisa M. Chiodo, Nicole M. Kent and Maha Almuneef
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Fahad M. Alhowaymel: Department of Nursing, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Shaqra University, Shaqra 11911, Saudi Arabia
Karen A. Kalmakis: Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
Lisa M. Chiodo: Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
Nicole M. Kent: Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
Maha Almuneef: College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 14611, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 2, 1-9

Abstract: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) contribute to many negative physiological, psychological, and behavioral health consequences. However, a cut-point for adverse childhood experience (ACE) scores, as it pertains to health outcomes, has not been clearly identified. This ambiguity has led to the use of different cut-points to define high scores. The aim of this study is to clarify a cut-point at which ACEs are significantly associated with negative chronic health outcomes. To accomplish this aim, a secondary analysis using data from a cross-sectional study was conducted. The Adverse Childhood Experiences-International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics, nonparametric regression, and logistic regression analyses were performed on a sample of 10,047 adults. Data from demographic and self-report health measures were included. The results showed that a cut-point of four or more ACEs was significantly associated with increased rates of chronic disease. Participants with at least one chronic disease were almost 3 times more likely (OR = 2.8) to be in the high ACE group. A standardized cut-point for ACE scores will assist in future research examining the impact of high ACEs across cultures to study the effect of childhood experiences on health.

Keywords: Adverse Childhood Experiences; childhood trauma; cut-point; chronic disease (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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