Overview of the Adverse Childhood
Experiences (ACE) Study
Robert F. Anda, MD, MS
ACE Study Co-Principal Investigator
Co-Founder ACE Interface
www.ACEInterface.com
© 2013
Intergenerational
transmission
Epigeneticmechanisms
© 2013
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study
Examines the health and social effects of ACEs
throughout the lifespan among 17,421 members
of the Kaiser Health Plan in San Diego County
What do we mean by Adverse Childhood Experiences?
-childhood abuse and neglect
-growing up with domestic violence, substance
abuse or mental illness in the home, parental
discord, crime
© 2013
Follow-up
ACE Study Design
Survey Wave I Mortality
(N=9,508) National Death Index
Morbidity
Hospital Discharge
Outpatient Visits
Survey Wave II Emergency room
(N=8,667) visits
Pharmacy Utilization
All medical evaluations
abstracted from both waves
(N = 17,421)
© 2013
Adverse Childhood Experiences Are Common
Substance abuse 27%
Parental sep/divorce 23%
Mental illness 17%
Battered mother 13%
Criminal behavior 6%
Household dysfunction:
Abuse:
Psychological 11%
Physical 28%
Sexual 21%
Neglect:
Emotional 15%
Physical 10%
© 2013
Adverse Childhood Experiences Rarely
Occur in Isolation…
They come in groups.
© 2013
Domestic Violence
and the Risk of Other ACEs...
© 2013
Prevalence of Childhood Abuse by Frequency
of Witnessing Domestic Violence
Childhood Abuse
Emotional Physical Sexual
0
20
40
60
80
100
Never
Once,Twice
Sometimes
Often
Very often
Frequency of witnessing
domestic violence
Percent(%)
© 2013
ACEs tend to come in groups…
Additional ACEs (%)
1 2 3 4 >5
If you had:
A battered mother 95 82 64 48 52
© 2013
Adverse Childhood Experiences Score
Complex Trauma--Trauma “Dose”
Number of individual types of adverse
childhood experiences were summed…
ACE score Prevalence
0 33%
1 26%
2 16%
3 10%
4 or more 16%
© 2013
ACE Score
and Teen Sexual Behaviors
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
PercentWithHealthProblem(%)
0 1 2 3 4 or more
ACE Score
Intercourse by
Age 15
Teen Pregnancy Teen Paternity
© 2013
The ACE Score and the Prevalence of Severe
Obesity
(BMI >35)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
0 1 2 3 >=4
ACE Score
Percentobese(%)
© 2013
ACEs and Mental Health…
© 2013
The ACE Score and the Prevalence of
Attempted Suicide
0
5
10
15
20
0 1 2 3 >=4
ACE Score
Percentatempted(%)
© 2013
The ACE Score and a Lifetime History of
Depression
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0 1 2 3 >=4
Women Men
ACE Score
Percentdepressed(%)
© 2013
ACEs and Violent Victimization as an Adult…
© 2013
ACE Score and the
Risk of Being a Victim of Domestic Violence
0
5
10
15
Women Men
0 1 2 3 4 >5 0 1 2 3 4 >5
RiskofVictimization
(%)
ACE Score
© 2013
Ever addicted
to drugs
ACE Score and Drug Abuse
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
PercentWithHealthProblem(%)
0 1 2 3 4 >=5
ACE Score
Ever had a
drug problem
Ever injected
drugs
© 2013
ACE Score and HIV Risks
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
PercentWithHealthProblem(%)
0 1 2 3 4 or more
ACE Score
Ever Injected
Drugs
Had 50 or More
Intercourse Partners
Ever Had an
STD
© 2013
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
PercentWithHealthProblem(%)
0 1 2 3 4 or more
ACE Score
Early smoking
initiation
Current smoking COPD
ACEs, Smoking, and Lung Disease
© 2013
The ACE Score and the Prevalence Ischemic
Heart Disease
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
0 1 2 3 >=4
ACE Score
Percent(%)
© 2013
One Perspective on the Direct Health
Care Costs of ACEs:
The Burden of Prescription Drug Use
© 2013
Prescription Drugs in the United States (2003)
-nearly $180 billion spent
-11% of total national health expenditures
-more than four times the amount spent in 1990
ACE Score and Rates of Antidepressant
Prescriptions
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
ACE Score
0 1 2 3 4 >=5
Prescriptionrate
(per100person-years)
ACE Score and Rates of Prescribed Antidepressant Medications by Age, 1997-2004
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
0 1 2 3 4 5+ 0 1 2 3 4 5+ 0 1 2 3 4 5+
Rateper100P-Y
ACE Score
45-64 yrs
ACE Score
18-44 yrs
ACE Score
65-89 yrs
© 2013
Adverse Childhood Experiences
as a Clinical and Public Health Issue
ACEs:
- are endemic
- highly interrelated
- have a cumulative stressor effect
- effects are biologically plausible
© 2013
Adverse Childhood Experiences
As a National Health Issue
ACEs have a strong influence on:
-adolescent health
-reproductive health
-smoking
-alcohol abuse
-illicit drug abuse
-sexual behavior
-mental health
- risk of revictimization
-stability of relationships, homelessness
-performance in the workforce
© 2013
Adverse Childhood Experiences
As a National Health Issue
ACEs increase the risk of:
-Heart disease
- Chronic Lung disease
- Liver disease
- Suicide
- Injuries
-HIV and STDs
- and other risks for the leading
causes of death
© 2013
The Adverse Childhood Experiences
(ACE) Study
Summary of Findings:
-Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
are very common
-ACEs are strong predictors of health risks and
disease from adolescence to adulthood
-This combination of findings makes ACEs one
of the leading, if not the leading determinant
of the health and social well-being of our nation
© 2013
Bridging The Chasm
Child
health
as it
stands
today
Child
health
as it
could
be
Breakthroughs
in molecular genetics
and biology:
Mental illness
Substance abuse
Violence
Improved recognition
and treatment of:
Mental illness
Substance abuse
Domestic violence
Child abuse
Mass education
about child
development &
parenting:
Media
Schools
Documenting the
societal burden of
child health as it
stands today
New directions
in prevention and
treatment
© 2013
Bridging The Chasm
Child
health
as it
stands
today
Child
health
as it
could
be
Involving those who don’t yet realize
that they are working on issues that
represent the “downstream” wreckage
of child abuse and neglect--and other
adverse childhood experiences--in the
effort to bridge the chasm.
Routine screening for trauma is needed
© 2013

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The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study

  • 1. Overview of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study Robert F. Anda, MD, MS ACE Study Co-Principal Investigator Co-Founder ACE Interface www.ACEInterface.com © 2013
  • 3. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study Examines the health and social effects of ACEs throughout the lifespan among 17,421 members of the Kaiser Health Plan in San Diego County What do we mean by Adverse Childhood Experiences? -childhood abuse and neglect -growing up with domestic violence, substance abuse or mental illness in the home, parental discord, crime © 2013
  • 4. Follow-up ACE Study Design Survey Wave I Mortality (N=9,508) National Death Index Morbidity Hospital Discharge Outpatient Visits Survey Wave II Emergency room (N=8,667) visits Pharmacy Utilization All medical evaluations abstracted from both waves (N = 17,421) © 2013
  • 5. Adverse Childhood Experiences Are Common Substance abuse 27% Parental sep/divorce 23% Mental illness 17% Battered mother 13% Criminal behavior 6% Household dysfunction: Abuse: Psychological 11% Physical 28% Sexual 21% Neglect: Emotional 15% Physical 10% © 2013
  • 6. Adverse Childhood Experiences Rarely Occur in Isolation… They come in groups. © 2013
  • 7. Domestic Violence and the Risk of Other ACEs... © 2013
  • 8. Prevalence of Childhood Abuse by Frequency of Witnessing Domestic Violence Childhood Abuse Emotional Physical Sexual 0 20 40 60 80 100 Never Once,Twice Sometimes Often Very often Frequency of witnessing domestic violence Percent(%) © 2013
  • 9. ACEs tend to come in groups… Additional ACEs (%) 1 2 3 4 >5 If you had: A battered mother 95 82 64 48 52 © 2013
  • 10. Adverse Childhood Experiences Score Complex Trauma--Trauma “Dose” Number of individual types of adverse childhood experiences were summed… ACE score Prevalence 0 33% 1 26% 2 16% 3 10% 4 or more 16% © 2013
  • 11. ACE Score and Teen Sexual Behaviors 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 PercentWithHealthProblem(%) 0 1 2 3 4 or more ACE Score Intercourse by Age 15 Teen Pregnancy Teen Paternity © 2013
  • 12. The ACE Score and the Prevalence of Severe Obesity (BMI >35) 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 0 1 2 3 >=4 ACE Score Percentobese(%) © 2013
  • 13. ACEs and Mental Health… © 2013
  • 14. The ACE Score and the Prevalence of Attempted Suicide 0 5 10 15 20 0 1 2 3 >=4 ACE Score Percentatempted(%) © 2013
  • 15. The ACE Score and a Lifetime History of Depression 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 0 1 2 3 >=4 Women Men ACE Score Percentdepressed(%) © 2013
  • 16. ACEs and Violent Victimization as an Adult… © 2013
  • 17. ACE Score and the Risk of Being a Victim of Domestic Violence 0 5 10 15 Women Men 0 1 2 3 4 >5 0 1 2 3 4 >5 RiskofVictimization (%) ACE Score © 2013
  • 18. Ever addicted to drugs ACE Score and Drug Abuse 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 PercentWithHealthProblem(%) 0 1 2 3 4 >=5 ACE Score Ever had a drug problem Ever injected drugs © 2013
  • 19. ACE Score and HIV Risks 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 PercentWithHealthProblem(%) 0 1 2 3 4 or more ACE Score Ever Injected Drugs Had 50 or More Intercourse Partners Ever Had an STD © 2013
  • 20. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 PercentWithHealthProblem(%) 0 1 2 3 4 or more ACE Score Early smoking initiation Current smoking COPD ACEs, Smoking, and Lung Disease © 2013
  • 21. The ACE Score and the Prevalence Ischemic Heart Disease 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 0 1 2 3 >=4 ACE Score Percent(%) © 2013
  • 22. One Perspective on the Direct Health Care Costs of ACEs: The Burden of Prescription Drug Use © 2013
  • 23. Prescription Drugs in the United States (2003) -nearly $180 billion spent -11% of total national health expenditures -more than four times the amount spent in 1990
  • 24. ACE Score and Rates of Antidepressant Prescriptions 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 ACE Score 0 1 2 3 4 >=5 Prescriptionrate (per100person-years)
  • 25. ACE Score and Rates of Prescribed Antidepressant Medications by Age, 1997-2004 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 0 1 2 3 4 5+ 0 1 2 3 4 5+ 0 1 2 3 4 5+ Rateper100P-Y ACE Score 45-64 yrs ACE Score 18-44 yrs ACE Score 65-89 yrs © 2013
  • 26. Adverse Childhood Experiences as a Clinical and Public Health Issue ACEs: - are endemic - highly interrelated - have a cumulative stressor effect - effects are biologically plausible © 2013
  • 27. Adverse Childhood Experiences As a National Health Issue ACEs have a strong influence on: -adolescent health -reproductive health -smoking -alcohol abuse -illicit drug abuse -sexual behavior -mental health - risk of revictimization -stability of relationships, homelessness -performance in the workforce © 2013
  • 28. Adverse Childhood Experiences As a National Health Issue ACEs increase the risk of: -Heart disease - Chronic Lung disease - Liver disease - Suicide - Injuries -HIV and STDs - and other risks for the leading causes of death © 2013
  • 29. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study Summary of Findings: -Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are very common -ACEs are strong predictors of health risks and disease from adolescence to adulthood -This combination of findings makes ACEs one of the leading, if not the leading determinant of the health and social well-being of our nation © 2013
  • 30. Bridging The Chasm Child health as it stands today Child health as it could be Breakthroughs in molecular genetics and biology: Mental illness Substance abuse Violence Improved recognition and treatment of: Mental illness Substance abuse Domestic violence Child abuse Mass education about child development & parenting: Media Schools Documenting the societal burden of child health as it stands today New directions in prevention and treatment © 2013
  • 31. Bridging The Chasm Child health as it stands today Child health as it could be Involving those who don’t yet realize that they are working on issues that represent the “downstream” wreckage of child abuse and neglect--and other adverse childhood experiences--in the effort to bridge the chasm. Routine screening for trauma is needed © 2013