80.5 Percent of Teens Experience at Least One Adverse Childhood Experience
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Oct. 28, 2024 -- Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are very common among adolescents, with 80.5 percent experiencing at least one ACE, according to a study published online Oct. 28 in Pediatrics.
Using data from 16 states, Elizabeth A. Swedo, M.D., M.P.H., from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues estimated the prevalence of eight individual and cumulative ACEs among a large population-based sample of adolescents overall and by demographic characteristics.
The researchers found that emotional abuse, household poor mental health, and physical abuse had the highest prevalence (65.8, 36.1, and 32.5 percent, respectively). Overall, 80.5 and 22.4 percent of adolescents experienced at least one ACE and four or more ACEs, respectively. Adolescents who were female (27.7 percent), non-Hispanic multiracial (33.7 percent), non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native (27.1 percent), gay or lesbian (36.5 percent), or bisexual (42.1 percent) or who described their sexual identity some other way or were not sure of their sexual identity (questioning; 36.5 percent) had the highest prevalence of experiencing four or more ACEs.
"Differences in the experiences of ACEs by students belonging to racial, ethnic, or sexual minority groups highlight the need to tailor prevention and mitigation efforts to different social and cultural contexts, rather than employing a universal approach to prevention and intervention, to better support groups disproportionately impacted by ACEs," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted October 2024
Read this next
Less 'Experienced Weight Stigma' After Bariatric Surgery Aids Mental Health
FRIDAY, June 6, 2025 -- Experienced weight stigma (EWS) improves from pre- to post-metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS), according to a study published online June 5 in Health...
Boarding Common for Pediatric Mental Health Emergency Department Visits
FRIDAY, June 6, 2025 -- One-third of pediatric mental health emergency department visits resulting in admission or transfer exceeded 12 hours, according to a study published in...
Experiencing Sacred Moments Is Common for Internal Medicine Doctors
THURSDAY, June 5, 2025 -- For internal medicine physicians, experiencing sacred moments (brief periods of meaningful connection between clinician and patient) is common, but...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.