Journal article
State Legislators' Opinions About Adverse Childhood Experiences as Risk Factors for Adult Behavioral Health Conditions
Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), v 70(10), pp 894-900
01 Oct 2019
PMID: 31272336
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase risk of adult behavioral health conditions. State legislators are an important audience to target with evidence about ACEs because they make policy decisions that can prevent ACE exposure and enhance resilience. This study sought to describe state legislators' opinions about ACEs as risk factors for adult behavioral health conditions and identify how opinions vary between legislators with different characteristics.
A multimodal survey was conducted in 2017 (response rate, 16.4%; N=475). Dependent variables were the extent to which legislators thought that four ACEs-sexual abuse, physical abuse, witnessing domestic violence, and childhood neglect-increase risk of adult behavioral health conditions. Independent variables were legislator characteristics (e.g., ideology and gender). Rao-Scott chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression were conducted.
Childhood sexual abuse was identified as a major risk factor by the largest proportion of respondents (77%), followed by childhood physical abuse (59%), witnessing domestic violence (39%), and childhood neglect (38%). The proportion identifying each ACE as a major risk factor was significantly higher among Democrats than among Republicans, liberals than among conservatives, and women than among men. For example, 56% of liberals identified witnessing domestic violence as a major risk factor, compared with 29% of conservatives (p<.001).
Opinions about ACEs as risk factors for adult behavioral health conditions varied between legislators with different characteristics, especially liberals and conservatives. To enhance the policy impact of evidence about ACEs, advocates might consider developing multiple versions of ACE evidence summaries that are tailored on the basis of these characteristics.
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Details
- Title
- State Legislators' Opinions About Adverse Childhood Experiences as Risk Factors for Adult Behavioral Health Conditions
- Creators
- Jonathan Purtle - Department of Health Management and Policy (Purtle, Brown, Chilton), Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Lê-Scherban), and Center for Hunger Free Communities (Brown, Chilton), all at Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia; PolicyLab, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia (Wang)Félice Lê-Scherban - Department of Health Management and Policy (Purtle, Brown, Chilton), Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Lê-Scherban), and Center for Hunger Free Communities (Brown, Chilton), all at Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia; PolicyLab, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia (Wang)Emily Brown - Department of Health Management and Policy (Purtle, Brown, Chilton), Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Lê-Scherban), and Center for Hunger Free Communities (Brown, Chilton), all at Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia; PolicyLab, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia (Wang)Mariana Chilton - Department of Health Management and Policy (Purtle, Brown, Chilton), Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Lê-Scherban), and Center for Hunger Free Communities (Brown, Chilton), all at Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia; PolicyLab, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia (Wang)Xi Wang - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
- Publication Details
- Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), v 70(10), pp 894-900
- Publisher
- United States
- Grant note
- R21 MH111806 / NIMH NIH HHS
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Creative Arts Therapies; Urban Health Collaborative; Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Health Management and Policy
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000488526900008
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85072747214
- Other Identifier
- 991014877927704721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Health Policy & Services
- Psychiatry
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health