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Adverse childhood experiences associated with early literacy, behavioral issues

Children with adverse experiences, such as household dysfunction and abuse, prior to the age of 5 years were more likely to experience teacher-reported academic, literacy and behavioral problems in kindergarten, according to a study published in Pediatrics.

“The rapid pace of child development and brain growth from birth through age 5 make it a critical time period of opportunity and vulnerability,” Manuel E. Jimenez, MD, MS, of the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, department of pediatrics, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and colleagues wrote. “… While [adverse childhood experiences] in early childhood have been linked to poor physical outcomes, little is known regarding associations between childhood [adverse childhood experiences] and developmental and behavioral outcomes.”

To examine this association, the researchers conducted a secondary analysis of data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), which included nearly 5,000 children born in 20 large U.S. cities between 1998 and 2000. Parents and care givers in the FFCWS had been asked to report exposure to adverse experiences in the child at 5 years. Teacher-reported outcomes, as assessed at the end of the child’s kindergarten year, were also included. In all, 1,007 children with data available regarding adverse experiences and kindergarten outcomes were included study sample.

The researchers examined adverse experiences, such as physical, sexual and psychological abuse and neglect, as well as household substance abuse, mental illness, violence and incarceration, included in the FFCWS. For kindergarten outcomes, teachers were asked to assess the child’s academic skills, during the last month of the school year, in literacy, science, social studies and math. The researchers analyzed the associations between kindergarten outcomes and adverse childhood experiences using logistic regression.

According to the researchers, 55% of the children included in the study sample had experienced one adverse event, and 12% had experienced three or more. They also noted a general pattern of worsening academic, literacy and behavior outcomes with increased adverse experiences. The average number of adverse experiences for children with poor academic and behavioral issues was higher for all examined outcomes, at 1.2 to 1.54, compared to those without, at 0.92 to 0.97. Adjusting for potential cofounders, experiencing three or more adverse childhood experiences was associated with below-average skills in language, literacy and math, attention and social problems, and aggression.

“Thus, adverse outcomes associated with [adverse childhood event] exposure begin in early childhood and impact multiple aspects of children’s lives,” Jimenez and colleagues wrote. “The findings from this study underscore the need for integrated cross-sector approaches to enhance the development of vulnerable children.” – by Jason Laday

Disclosure: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.