What are Adverse Childhood Experiences?
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) refer to potentially traumatic events occurring before the age of 18, including neglect, violence and family instability.
Source: CDC
What are the impacts of ACEs?
ACEs are linked to a wide range of long-term outcomes, including impacts on health, opportunity and well-being. These can manifest as physical health issues, mental health challenges, behavioral patterns or social challenges.
Source: CDC
ACEs are typically not isolated events. Rather, they often occur in clusters, creating layers of trauma that can have lasting, complex effects into adulthood. There is also a generational risk for the children of parents who have themselves experienced ACEs. Because of these possible long-term impacts, it is important to have an accurate, effective ACEs screening tool.
Assessing ACEs
“Unfortunately, the initial Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale (ACES) is a rather crude scale with multipart questions and no indication of whether a given event reoccurred,” says Dr. Norman Hoffmann, clinical psychologist and expert in clinical assessment of mental health and substance use disorders.
“To remedy some of the problems [with ACES], I developed a revision dubbed the ACES-R4. The ‘R’ refers to dividing the multipart items into independent questions. An item about a family member being arrested was added as a more prevalent issue than one going to prison. The ‘4’ refers to replacing the yes/no reporting option with a four-option Likert scale to document reoccurrence.”
Hoffmann adds that, “Initial research indicates that the individual questions provide a more precise association with conditions such as PTSD and major depressive episodes. For clinicians, the ACES-R4 provides a clearer indication of specific events that might underlie identified conditions.”
By understanding ACEs, using an effective assessment tool and adopting a trauma-sensitive approach, you can empower clients to explore their past, build resilience and move toward healing. Clinicians and researchers who want to check out the ACES-R4 can access a free copy from Evince Diagnostics.
Norman G. Hoffmann, PhD is a clinical psychologist who is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in the clinical assessment of mental health and substance use disorders and in the evaluation of behavioral health programs. He has worked with private organizations and governmental agencies in a variety of states and countries. Dr. Hoffmann developed assessment instruments used throughout the United States and Canada as well as in several European countries. Instruments include brief screens, detailed diagnostic interviews, and treatment planning aids. He was the founder and science officer for the largest independent outcome evaluation system in the US and has authored or co-authored more than 220 publications.
Interested in learning more about trauma and addiction treatment resources?
- Explore the complete system of The Change Companies’ Evince Clinical Assessments here to streamline the assessment process and increase the accuracy of diagnostic, placement, and service planning decisions.
- Learn more about using the correct assessments: Navigating Instrument Confusion with Dr. Norman Hoffmann
- Register for an upcoming webinar with The Change Companies.
- Enhance measurement-based care with The Change Companies’ person-centered programming platform, Atlas.
Person-centered, individualized skill-building resources are key to guiding clients toward successful outcomes in recovery. Our digital intervention platform, Atlas, can help. Atlas delivers hundreds of topics related to addiction treatment, coping skills, and trauma education, allowing staff to tailor treatment to meet individual needs.
Reference to specific commercial products, manufacturers, companies, or trademarks does not constitute its endorsement or recommendation by the U.S. Government, Department of Health and Human Services, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.