Peer-Reviewed Sources
Arnekrans, A. K., Calmes, S. A., Laux, J. M., Roseman, C. P., Piazza, N. J.,…
The Kaiser Permanente and Center for Disease Control Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) public health study first established trauma and adversity as common and prevalent factors influencing public health, correlating trauma to adult health and well-being outcomes including lowered educational attainment. Results were first published in 1998 article describing some of the major findings including a graded response relationship between childhood adversity and adult onset pathologies including type II diabetes and cardiopulmonary disease (see citation and link below).
Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., Koss, M. P., & Marks, J. S. (1998). “Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0749-3797(98)00017-8
The full text is available from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(98)00017-8/fulltext
ACEs refer to the original study, to ongoing research using versions of the ACE questionnaire as applied to many different physical and mental health and well-being studies around the world, and also in colloquial terms to the general impact of adverse events on adult functioning. Similar to the K-12 Trauma Sensitive Schools movement, postsecondary educators and researchers employ the ACE frameworks, questionnaire, and other tools to consider how childhood adversity may or may not bear out in terms of academic persistence, resilience, well-being, retention, and graduation.
Links & Organizations
Center for Disease Control (CDC) main site on ACE:https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html ACE Resource Network works to build…