Adverse Childhood Experiences: Researchers Find Certain Groups Carry Higher Burden

​In a large study on adverse childhood experiences, including survey data on 214,157 subjects, nearly 62% of respondents reported at least one such experience and nearly a quarter (24.64%) reported three or more, according to a study published September 17, 2018, in JAMA Pediatrics. Black, Hispanic, or multiracial respondents reported significantly higher exposure to adverse childhood experiences than white respondents, and multiracial respondents reported the highest levels of any racial or ethnic group included in the study. Other socioeconomic groups who reported significant ACE exposure were people who had less than a high school education; who were unemployed, unable to work, or earning less than $15,000 per year; or who identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, the authors say. Emotional abuse was the most frequently reported adverse childhood experience (34.42%), followed by divorce or parental separation (27.63%) and substance abuse in the home (27.56%).