Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with a range of physical and mental health problems, and it is now understood that the developmental timing of ACEs may be critically important. Despite this, there is a distinct lack of methods for the efficient assessment of such timing in research and clinical settings. We report on the development and validation of a new measure, the Adverse Life Experiences Scale (ALES), that indexes such developmental timing within a format incorporating caregivers' reports of ACEs in their own lives and those of their children. Participants were a nationally representative sample of Australian families (n = 515; Study 1), and a sample of clinic-referred families (n = 168; Study 2). Results supported the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the ALES and indicated high levels of acceptability for the measure. In terms of validity, ALES scores were significantly associated with interview-based measures of child maltreatment and quality of the family environment, as well as measures of psychopathology across multiple informants (parents, teachers, clinician-rated). Furthermore, indices of ACEs occurring within specific age-based periods of childhood were found to explain unique variance in current symptoms of child and caregiver psychopathology, independent of the overall chronicity of those ACEs and current adversity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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捕捉不良童年经历的发展时机：不良生活经历量表。

童年不良经历 (ACE) 与一系列身心健康问题有关，现在人们了解到 ACE 的发展时机可能至关重要。尽管如此，在研究和临床环境中明显缺乏有效评估此类时间的方法。我们报告了一项新措施的开发和验证，即不良生活经历量表 (ALES)，该量表在一种格式中索引了这种发展时间，该格式结合了照顾者在他们自己和孩子的生活中的 ACE 报告。参与者是澳大利亚家庭的全国代表性样本（n = 515；研究 1）和诊所转介家庭的样本（n = 168；研究 2）。结果支持 ALES 的内部一致性和重测信度，并表明该措施的可接受性很高。在有效性方面，ALES 分数与基于访谈的虐待儿童测量和家庭环境质量，以及多个线人（父母、教师、临床医生评级）的精神病理学测量显着相关。此外，发现在基于特定年龄的儿童时期发生的 ACE 指数可以解释儿童和照料者心理病理学当前症状的独特差异，与这些 ACE 的整体慢性期和当前逆境无关。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2021 APA，保留所有权利）。ALES 分数与基于访谈的虐待儿童和家庭环境质量的测量以及多个线人（父母、教师、临床医生评级）的精神病理学测量显着相关。此外，发现在基于特定年龄的儿童时期发生的 ACE 指数可以解释儿童和照料者心理病理学当前症状的独特差异，与这些 ACE 的整体慢性期和当前逆境无关。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2021 APA，保留所有权利）。ALES 分数与基于访谈的虐待儿童和家庭环境质量的测量以及多个线人（父母、教师、临床医生评级）的精神病理学测量显着相关。此外，发现在基于特定年龄的儿童时期发生的 ACE 指数可以解释儿童和照料者心理病理学当前症状的独特差异，与这些 ACE 的整体慢性期和当前逆境无关。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2021 APA，保留所有权利）。发现在基于特定年龄的儿童时期发生的 ACE 指数可以解释儿童和照料者心理病理学当前症状的独特差异，与这些 ACE 的整体慢性期和当前逆境无关。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2021 APA，保留所有权利）。发现在基于特定年龄的儿童时期发生的 ACE 指数可以解释儿童和照料者心理病理学当前症状的独特差异，与这些 ACE 的整体慢性期和当前逆境无关。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2021 APA，保留所有权利）。