Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Sep;108(9):1148-1152.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2018.304598.

Intergenerational Continuity in Adverse Childhood Experiences and Rural Community Environments

Thomas J Schofield  1 , M Brent Donnellan  1 , Melissa T Merrick  1 , Katie A Ports  1 , Joanne Klevens  1 , Rebecca Leeb  1
Affiliations

Intergenerational Continuity in Adverse Childhood Experiences and Rural Community Environments

Thomas J Schofield et al. Am J Public Health. 2018 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: To understand the role of the community environment on intergenerational continuity in adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among a rural White sample.

Methods: Parents in 12 counties in rural Iowa reported retrospectively on their own ACEs in 1989. We measured their child's ACEs retrospectively and prospectively across adolescence (n = 451 families). We measured structural and social process-related measures of community environment (i.e., community socioeconomic status, parents' perception of community services, perceived community social cohesion, and neighborhood alcohol vendor density) on multiple occasions during the child's adolescence.

Results: The 4 measures of community environment were all correlated with the child's ACEs, but only alcohol vendor density predicted ACEs after inclusion of covariates. Intergenerational continuity in ACEs was moderated by both social cohesion (b = -0.11; SE = 0.04) and alcohol vendor density (b = -0.11; SE = 0.05).

Conclusions: Efforts to increase community social cohesion and manage alcohol vendor density may assist families in breaking the cycle of maltreatment across generations.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Moderation of Intergenerational Continuity in ACEs by Parents’ Perception of Community Social Cohesion Among Rural Iowa Families: 1989–1994 Note. ACEs = adverse childhood experiences; G1 = first generation; G2 = second generation.
FIGURE 2—
FIGURE 2—
Moderation of Intergenerational Continuity in ACEs by Density of Alcohol Vendors Among Rural Iowa Families: 1989–1994 Note. ACEs = adverse childhood experiences; G1 = first generation; G2 = second generation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Felitti VJ, Anda RF, Nordenberg D et al. Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study. Am J Prev Med. 1998;14(4):245–258. - PubMed
    1. Edwards VJ, Holden GW, Felitti VJ, Anda RF. Relationship between multiple forms of childhood maltreatment and adult mental health in community respondents: results from the adverse childhood experiences study. Am J Psychiatry. 2003;160(8):1453–1460. - PubMed
    1. Metzler M, Merrick MT, Klevens J, Ports KA, Ford DC. Adverse childhood experiences and life opportunities: shifting the narrative. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2017;72:141–149. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Schofield TJ, Lee RD, Merrick MT. Safe, stable, nurturing relationships as a moderator of intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment: a meta-analysis. J Adolesc Health. 2013;53(4 suppl):S32–S38. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Coulton CJ, Korbin JE, Su M. Neighborhoods and child maltreatment: a multi-level study. Child Abuse Negl. 1999;23(11):1019–1040. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources