Developmental timing, type, severity, and chronicity of early adverse childhood experiences : associations with adolescent mental health and behaviors

Despite the abundant literature demonstrating the negative consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) across the lifespan, there is little known about the specific nuances in how children experience adversity. Using longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this thesis examined associations between adolescent wellbeing and the various ways in which they experienced ACEs earlier in life. Results indicated that ACEs are related to poor adolescent mental health and negative behaviors. ACEs at age nine had particularly strong associations with negative adolescent outcomes over and above ACEs that occurred at earlier ages. In addition, the impacts of individual ACEs varied according to how they were experienced earlier in life, including the single occurrence, severity, and chronicity of each type of adversity. These results suggest that the developmental timing, type, severity, and chronicity of ACEs are important considerations for both future research and intervention efforts.