Journal Article

The Relationship of Adverse Childhood Experiences to PTSD, Depression, Poly-Drug Use and Suicide Attempt in Reservation-Based Native American Adolescents and Young Adults

Wallen, Gwenyth R., Dana-Sacco, Gail, Campbell, Jacquelyn C., Brockie, Teresa N., Wilcox, Holly C.

2015

Overview

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with numerous risk behaviors and mental health outcomes among youth. This study examines the relationship between the number of types of exposures to ACEs and risk behaviors and mental health outcomes among reservation-based Native Americans. In 2011, data were collected from Native American (N = 288; 15–24 years of age) tribal members from a remote plains reservation using an anonymous web-based questionnaire. We analyzed the relationship between six ACEs, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, physical and emotional neglect, witness to intimate partner violence, for those <18 years, and included historical loss associated symptoms, and perceived discrimination for those <19 years; and four risk behavior/mental health outcomes: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depression symptoms, poly-drug use, and suicide attempt. Seventy-eight percent of the sample reported at least one ACE and 40 % reported at least two. The cumulative impact of the ACEs were significant ( p  < .001) for the four outcomes with each additional ACE increasing the odds of suicide attempt (37 %), poly-drug use (51 %), PTSD symptoms (55 %), and depression symptoms (57 %). To address these findings culturally appropriate childhood and adolescent interventions for reservation-based populations must be developed, tested and evaluated longitudinally.

• Publisher: Springer US,Blackwell Science Ltd
• Subject: Adolescent / Adolescents / Adults / Adverse childhood experiences / American Indians / Behavioral Science and Psychology / Child Abuse - ethnology / Child Abuse - psychology / Child Abuse - statistics & numerical data / Child Abuse, Sexual - ethnology / Child Abuse, Sexual - psychology / Child Abuse, Sexual - statistics & numerical data / Child psychology / Childhood / Childhood experiences / Childhood factors / Clinical Psychology / Community and Environmental Psychology / Depression - epidemiology / Depression - ethnology / Depression - etiology / Depression - psychology / Discrimination / Drug abuse / Drug use / Drugs / Emotional abuse / Emotions / Female / Health behavior / Health Psychology / Health status / Historical loss associated symptoms / Humans / Indians, North American - psychology / Indians, North American - statistics & numerical data / Intimate partner violence / Male / Mental depression / Mental health / Native American / Native North Americans / Original Article / Perceived discrimination / Personality and Social Psychology / Post traumatic stress disorder / Psychology / Public Health / Reservation-based / Risk behavior / Risk Factors / Sexual abuse / Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology / Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - ethnology / Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - etiology / Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology / Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology / Substance-Related Disorders - ethnology / Substance-Related Disorders - etiology / Substance-Related Disorders - psychology / Suicide / Suicide, Attempted - ethnology / Suicide, Attempted - psychology / Surveys and Questionnaires / Symptoms / Trauma / United States - epidemiology / Young Adult / Young adults / Youth