Examining Patterns of Adversity in Chinese Young Adults Using the Adverse Childhood Experiences – International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ)

Ho, Grace W. K.; Chan, Athena C. Y.; Chien, Wai-Tong; Bressington, Daniel T.; Karatzias, Thanos

Abstract

Ample evidence supports significant and enduring associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and negative outcomes later in life. Subsets of ACEs (e.g. childhood maltreatment and household dysfunction) have been examined in Chinese populations, but no known study has comprehensively examined the full constellation of different types of ACEs or patterns of ACE exposure in Chinese samples. As a direct response to the call to
establish a global ACEs surveillance framework, this study provides the first translation and validation of the World Health Organization ACE – International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ).
Further, patterns of ACE exposure were identified through latent class analysis. The 29-item ACE-IQ was translated and back-translated from English to traditional Chinese to measure exposure to 13 categories of ACEs. The Chinese ACE-IQ demonstrated good content validity; the ACE-IQ domain subscales also showed satisfactory test-retest reliability and semantic equivalence. In a sample of 433 Chinese young adults, three patterns of ACE exposure were uncovered: Low ACEs (65.82%), Household Violence (24.94%), and Multiple ACEs (9.24%).
Concurrent exposure to physical abuse, domestic violence, and emotional abuse (i.e. Household Violence) was a novel pattern found in this study sample, and suggests there may be traditional Chinese norms that potentiate risks for violent household environments in the absence of other household risk factors. Findings underscore the importance of examining ACE exposure within local contexts, as children’s adverse experiences may be idiosyncratic to geographic, social, and cultural norms.

Citation

Ho, G. W. K., Chan, A. C. Y., Chien, W., Bressington, D. T., & Karatzias, T. (2019). Examining Patterns of Adversity in Chinese Young Adults Using the Adverse Childhood Experiences – International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ). Child Abuse and Neglect, 88, 179-188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.11.009

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 19, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Dec 2, 2018
• Publication Date: 2019-02
• Deposit Date: Nov 19, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 3, 2020
• Journal: Child Abuse and Neglect
• Print ISSN: 0145-2134
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 88
• Pages: 179-188
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.11.009
• Keywords: Adverse Childhood Experiences, Adverse Childhood Experiences – International Questionnaire, Psychometric Evaluation, Latent Class Analysis
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1369642