80.5 Percent of Teens Experience at Least One Adverse Childhood Experience

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are very common among adolescents, with 80.5 percent experiencing at least one ACE, according to a study published online in Pediatrics.

Using data from 16 states, Elizabeth A. Swedo, M.D., M.P.H., from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues estimated the prevalence of eight individual and cumulative ACEs among a large population-based sample of adolescents overall and by demographic characteristics.

The researchers found that emotional abuse, household poor mental health, and physical abuse had the highest prevalence. Overall, 80.5 and 22.4 percent of adolescents experienced at least one ACE and four or more ACEs, respectively. Adolescents who were female, non-Hispanic multiracial, non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native, gay or lesbian, or bisexual or who described their sexual identity some other way or were not sure of their sexual identity had the highest prevalence of experiencing four or more ACEs.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-10-percent-teens-adverse-childhood.html