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Newspaper Coverage of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Toxic Stress in the United States, 2014-2020: Consequences, Causes, and Solutions
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Newspaper Coverage of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Toxic Stress in the United States, 2014-2020: Consequences, Causes, and Solutions

Jonathan Purtle, Sarah Bowler, Maura Boughter-Dornfeld, Katherine L. Nelson and Sarah E. Gollust
Trauma, violence & abuse, pp 152483802110294-15248380211029407
16 Jul 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380211029407
PMID: 34269132
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel

Abstract

Criminology & Penology Family Studies Social Sciences Social Work
News media can shape public opinion about child adversity and influence the translation of research into public policy. Research about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress has increased dramatically in recent years, but little is known about how these concepts are covered in news media. We reviewed how newspapers in the United States have portrayed the consequences of, causes of, and solutions to address ACEs and toxic stress, examined trends in newspaper coverage, and assessed differences in coverage of ACEs versus toxic stress. Quantitative content analysis was conducted of 746 newspaper articles mentioning "adverse childhood experience(s)" and/or "toxic stress" published in 25 U.S. newspapers between January 1, 2014, and May 30, 2020. kappa statistics of interrater reliability were calculated, and variables with kappa >= .60 were retained for quantitative analysis. We found that newspaper coverage of ACEs and toxic stress increased dramatically between 2014 and 2018 and then sharply declined. Only 13.3% of articles mentioned both ACEs and toxic stress. There were many statistically significant (p < .05) differences in the causes, consequences, and solutions identified in articles focused on ACEs versus toxic stress. Coverage of both concepts predominantly focused on consequences for individuals, not society. However, 54.6% of articles identified a structural cause of ACEs and/or toxic stress. Increased volume in newspaper coverage about ACEs and toxic stress could increase public awareness about the relationship between childhood adversity and adult outcomes. There is a need to portray ACEs and toxic stress as complementary concepts more coherently in news media.

Metrics

7 Record Views
6 citations in Web of Science
5 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#5 Gender Equality
#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Criminology & Penology
Family Studies
Social Work
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