MacLochlainn Justin, Mallett John, Kirby Karen, McFadden Paula
School of Psychology, Ulster University, Room H259, Cromore Road, Coleraine campus, Co. Derry, BT52 1SA Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
School of Psychology, Ulster University, Room H245, Cromore Road, Coleraine campus, Co. Derry, BT52 1SA Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
J Child Adolesc Trauma. 2021 Jul 30;15(2):327-340. doi: 10.1007/s40653-021-00392-8. eCollection 2022 Jun.
Stress from cumulative adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can pose a serious risk of experiencing anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders in adolescence. However, there is a paucity of research identifying specific profiles or combinations of exposure to other forms of stressful life events and their impact on adolescent psychopathology. This study attempted a conceptual expansion of the ACE checklist by examining these stressful events. The study used cross-sectional data from a modified version of the CASE Study survey where 864 adolescents (56% female, n = 480), aged from 11 - 18 years were recruited from four post-primary schools in the North-West region of NI. Latent class analysis of the 20-item stressful events checklist revealed 3 distinct risk classes: a low-risk class (53.5%), at-risk class (42.7%), and an immediate-risk class (3.8%). Results showed those at most risk of adolescent psychopathology had the highest probability of encountering interpersonal relationship issues, experiencing family dysfunction, and having close friends experiencing psychological difficulties. Findings indicate that the original ten ACE categories may be too narrow in focus and do not capture the wide range of childhood adversity. Expanding the ACE checklist to include other stressful events is discussed as these may also be antecedents to psychopathologic responses.
童年累积不良经历（ACEs）所带来的压力会严重增加青少年出现焦虑、抑郁及其他情绪障碍的风险。然而，针对识别接触其他形式应激性生活事件的具体特征或组合及其对青少年精神病理学影响的研究却很匮乏。本研究试图通过审视这些应激事件，对ACE清单进行概念上的扩展。该研究使用了CASE研究调查修改版的横断面数据，从北爱尔兰西北地区的四所中学招募了864名年龄在11至18岁之间的青少年（56%为女性，n = 480）。对包含20项应激事件的清单进行潜在类别分析，揭示了3个不同的风险类别：低风险类别（53.5%）、风险类别（42.7%）和即时风险类别（3.8%）。结果显示，青少年精神病理学风险最高的人群遭遇人际关系问题、经历家庭功能失调以及亲密朋友出现心理困难的可能性最大。研究结果表明，最初的十类ACE可能关注范围过窄，未能涵盖童年时期广泛的逆境情况。文中讨论了扩展ACE清单以纳入其他应激事件，因为这些事件也可能是精神病理反应的先兆。
