How Influential are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on Youths?: Analyzing the Immediate and Lagged Effect of ACEs on Deviant Behaviors

Although the effect of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on antisocial behaviors is well established in the literature, limited research, if any, has analyzed the effect that ACEs have on behaviors at two different times. Limited research also has analyzed the effect that specific ACEs have on deviant behaviors after statistically controlling for respondents' protective factors. This study expands the literature in this area by analyzing in a sample of 555 adolescents the immediate and lagged effect that individual ACEs, and exposure to a number of ACEs, have on three deviant behaviors after controlling for respondents' protective factors not previously examined in ACEs studies. Results obtained from multivariate logistic regression models revealed that stealing things was predicted by being hit hard, being sexually molested, and having lived with a depressed or suicidal individual; and receiving threats over the internet predicted physical fights. Only being hit hard and living with an alcoholic had a lagged effect on smoking marijuana. Results also showed that the protective factors of school connection, anger management skills, and parental supervision reduced the effect of ACEs on the behaviors analyzed. Research, theory, and policy implications are discussed.