The Other Side of ACEs: Healthy Outcomes of Positive Experiences (HOPE)

Background & Aims: The association between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and negative outcomes is well established in the research literature. Scientific advances in neuroscience have helped to explain some of the mechanisms by which these early experiences cause impairment to healthy development. Based upon these findings practice communities have adopted strategies for screening ACE’s in diverse client populations. Such an approach to screening does not allow for an understanding of the ecologically-nested assets that may buffer or prevent risk in the first place. Much less is known about the factors that buffer risk or prevent its occurrence. Additional research is needed to identify the factors that promote healthy development in the context of adversity and to integrate the findings into standard screening procedures.

Methods: The current presentation draws from four datasets: National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), Wisconsin Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (WBRFS), yougov.com, and Prevent Child Abuse America (PCAA). The guiding question across these data sources looked at what factors support healthy outcomes for children and families. The methodologies for each individual analysis will be discussed during the presentation.

Results: Analyses from the NSCH demonstrate the critical role of resilience in buffering the effects of ACE’s. Specifically, those children who were determined to be resilience had lower rates of mental, emotional, and behavioral conditions compared to those who were not deemed resilient. The WBRFS study found that despite having experienced ACE’s, the presence of caring adults, support networks, and a sense of community belonging moderated the effect of early adversity on adult physical and mental health problems. Data from a survey of 2,500 adults in the U.S. conducted by yougov.com highlight positive norms associated with parenting yet also indicated that few parents are willing to ask for help. In closing, data from a national survey of U.S. adults conducted by Prevent Child Abuse America show alignment of actual and perceived norms associated with the seriousness and preventability of child maltreatment yet also identify serious barriers to action when child maltreatment is suspected.

Conclusions: The four studies included in this presentation point to factors across the social ecology (e.g., individual, family/relational, community, societal) that buffer the effects of early adversity. Findings such as these can enhance standard ACE screening procedures to include measurement of factors that have been shown to promote health and well-being. Further implications for practice (e.g., screening, assessment) will be discussed.