Frequencies and patterns of adverse childhood events in LGBTQ+ youth

• Published in: Child abuse & neglect 2020-09, Vol.107, p.104623-104623, Article 104623
• Main Authors: Craig, Shelley L., Austin, Ashley, Levenson, Jill, Leung, Vivian W.Y., Eaton, Andrew D., D’Souza, Sandra A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abuse; ACEs; Adverse childhood experiences; Antisocial Behavior; Bisexual, Transgender and Queer youth; Bisexuality; Child abuse & neglect; Childhood; Childhood experiences; Childhood factors; Emotional abuse; Gay; Gender; Gender nonconforming; Health disparities; Lesbian; LGBTQ people; Mental disorders; Mental health; Mental health care; Minority stress; Pansexual; Sexual Identity; Transgender persons; Trauma; Youth
• ISSN: 0145-2134; 1873-7757
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104623

•LGBTQ + youth report strikingly high rates of adverse childhood events (ACEs).•Family dysfunction and emotional abuse are prevalent in the lives of LGBTQ + youth.•Trauma exposure for LGBTQ + youth includes ACEs and identity-based minority stress.•LGBTQ + youth experience levels of childhood adversity that disrupts wellbeing.•Gathering ACEs data directly from youth is feasible. Trauma, specifically adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), predicts significant health and mental health disparities, yet there is a paucity of research with LGBTQ + youth. This study explored ACE prevalence in a large sample of LGBTQ+ youth; examined ACE patterns within and across subgroups; and compared results with the general population. Participant (n = 3,508) ages ranged between 14–18 (x̄ = 16.02) and represented a range of sexual orientations: pansexual (33.9 %), bisexual (26.6 %), and queer (16.2 %), and gender identities: female (39.9 %), non-conforming (38 %), male (14.9 %), and transgender (16.6 %). An online cross-sectional survey was conducted with LGBTQ+ youth ages 14–18 that self-identified as LGBTQ+ and resided in the US or Canada. Descriptive statistics generated the prevalence of ACEs, and ANOVAs and post-hoc tests were run for comparisons. Participants reported multiple ACEs (M = 3.14, SD = 2.44) with emotional neglect (58 %), emotional abuse (56 %), and living with a family member with mental illness (51 %) as the most prevalent. Notably, 43 % of participants experienced 4+ ACEs, considered to be a high level of trauma exposure. Compared to national samples, LGBTQ + youth demonstrated unique patterns of ACEs and were higher in 9 of 10 categories. Significantly high (all p < .001) ACEs were found in pansexual (t = 7.67), transgender and gender non-conforming (t = 5.19), American-Indian (t = 6.42), Latinx (t = 2.83) and rural youth (F = 12.12) while those with highly educated parents (F = 83.30, p < .001), lived with a parent (t = 6.02), and in Canada (t = 6.14) reported fewer ACEs. LGBTQ+ youth experience significant childhood trauma with potential impact on their mental health. This study identifies implications for trauma-informed practice and research.