Background

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been linked to negative outcomes for adult behavioural, physical and mental health. There is limited research into the prevalence of ACEs experienced by children and young people in the children and young people secure estate, and specifically, a lack of research into England’s secure children’s homes (SCH) population.

Objective

To explore the reported prevalence of ACEs experienced by young people admitted to an SCH in the North of England between January 2018 and March 2020.

Methods

A retrospective file review was used to explore ACEs experienced by young people. Data was collated for a convenience sample of 58 young people. Descriptive analysis was completed.

Results

81.1 % of the sample yielded an ACE score of ≥ 4. The average ACE score was 5.55, and the most common ACEs experienced by the sample were exposure to parental separation, physical neglect and emotional abuse. Females were significantly more likely to have experienced sexual abuse and emotional neglect. Children and young people entering the secure estate were 1.85 times as likely to have experienced ≥ 1 ACE and 13.08 times as likely to have experienced ≥ 4 ACEs compared to the general population.

Conclusions

This unique population are likely to have experienced multiple and significant developmental trauma. These findings spotlight the vulnerabilities and complex needs of the SCH population, and have implications both for the young people’s physical and mental health trajectories and for policies and care approaches within SCHs. Study limitations are discussed, along with recommendations for future research.

中文翻译：

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探索安全儿童之家入学中不良童年经历的普遍性

背景

童年不良经历(ACE) 与成人行为、身心健康的负面结果有关。关于儿童和年轻人在儿童和年轻人安全财产中所经历的 ACE 流行情况的研究有限，特别是缺乏对英格兰安全儿童之家 (SCH) 人口的研究。

客观的

探讨 2018 年 1 月至 2020 年 3 月期间英格兰北部入院 SCH 的年轻人所报告的 ACE 患病率。

方法

回顾性文件审查被用来探索年轻人所经历的 ACE。对 58 名年轻人的便利样本进行了数据整理。描述性分析完成。

结果

81.1% 的样本的 ACE 分数≥ 4。平均 ACE 分数为 5.55，样本中最常见的 ACE 是父母分离、身体疏忽和情感虐待。女性更容易遭受性虐待和情感忽视。与一般人群相比，进入安全区的儿童和年轻人经历 ≥ 1 次 ACE 的可能性是 1.85 倍，经历 ≥ 4 次 ACE 的可能性是 13.08 倍。

结论

这个独特的人群很可能经历过多次重大的发育创伤。这些发现突出了 SCH 人群的脆弱性和复杂需求，并对年轻人的身心健康轨迹以及 SCH 内的政策和护理方法都有影响。讨论了研究局限性，以及对未来研究的建议。