NCJ Number
243292
Journal
Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report Volume: 59 Issue: 49 Dated: December 17, 2010 Pages: 1609-1613
Date Published
December 2010
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report presents information on adverse childhood experiences reported by adults.
Abstract
This Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presents the results of a study examining the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences among a randomly selected population of adults. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include verbal, physical, or sexual abuse, and family dysfunction such as mental illness, substance use, or incarceration. Using data from the 2009 ACE module of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the study examined the degree to which ACEs occur among a random selection of the adult population in five specific States - Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Washington. The analysis found that among the 26,212 participants in the survey, 29.1 percent of respondents reported a household substance problem, 25.9 percent reported verbal abuse, 14.8 percent reported physical abuse, 12.2 percent reported sexual abuse, and 7.2 percent reported an incarcerated family member. The study also found that except for sexual abuse and living with a mentally ill or substance abusing family member, men and women reported the prevalence of ACEs at similar rates. The findings also show that while 41 percent of respondents reported no incidences of ACEs, 22 percent reported one ACE and 8.7 percent reported five or more ACEs. These findings reinforce previous research findings indicating that ACEs are prevalent across all racial/ethnic groups and States. Study limitations are discussed. Tables and references