Association of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resilience With Obesity, High Blood Pressure, and Parental Report of Behavioral Health Symptoms in Children: A Cross Sectional Study

Ashleigh Hall; Xandria West; Marilyn Brown; Erin Hall; Ella Kim; Alexa Leib; Paige Mergaman; Zanaib Salih; Stephen Aronoff

doi:10.1177/2333794X231159518

Association of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resilience With Obesity, High Blood Pressure, and Parental Report of Behavioral Health Symptoms in Children: A Cross Sectional Study

Glob Pediatr Health. 2023 Mar 6:10:2333794X231159518. doi: 10.1177/2333794X231159518. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Ashleigh Hall¹, Xandria West¹, Marilyn Brown¹, Erin Hall^{1

2}, Ella Kim¹, Alexa Leib^{1

3}, Paige Mergaman^{1

4}, Zanaib Salih¹, Stephen Aronoff¹

Affiliations

¹ Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
² Seattle Children's Hospital 4800 Sand Point Way NE Seattle, WA, USA.
³ West Chester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY, USA.
⁴ Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.

Abstract

The interplay between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and resilience on health in children is not well understood. Parents completed 3 questionnaires: ACEs, Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM), and the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17(PSC-17). BMI and blood pressure were measured. 19.8% of children had 4 or more ACEs, resilience ranged from 25 to 51, 14.3% had a positive PSC-17 score, 25.6% were obese, 3.1% had systolic hypertension, and 1.2% had diastolic hypertension. Higher ACEs (ACE OR: 1.398, 95% CI = 1.044-1.893, P = .026) and lower resilience (Resilience OR: 0.740, 95% CI 0.668-0.812; P = 1.13 × 10^-9) were predictive of increased reports of behavioral health symptoms, but not obesity or hypertension. The personal resilience subscale was a predictor of positive PSC-17 score (OR 0.646, 95% CI = 0.546-0.749, P = 3.18 × 10^-8); relationship subscale was not. Cultivating resilience, especially personal aspects, may provide an effective intervention for behavioral health symptoms in children.

Keywords: ACEs; behavioral health; children; obesity; resilience.