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Evolving Our Understanding: Housing Instability as an ACE for Young Children
Carmela J DeCandia1, Katherine T Volk2, George J Unick3
1Artemis Associates, LLC, 15 Main St. Suite 224, Watertown, MA 02472 USA.
Adversity and Resilience Science
|November 2, 2022
Summary
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) significantly impact young children in poverty, affecting attention, social skills, and emotional regulation. Housing instability and caregiver distress exacerbate these negative effects on child development.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to negative developmental outcomes.
- Understanding the impact of ACEs in vulnerable populations, such as children experiencing poverty and homelessness, is crucial.
- Caregiver well-being and housing instability are significant contextual factors influencing child development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the conceptualization and impact of ACEs in young children (3-5 years) experiencing poverty and homelessness.
- To examine the specific roles of caregiver well-being and housing instability in relation to ACEs and child neurodevelopment.
- To assess the association between ACE scores, caregiver distress, housing instability, and neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Neurodevelopmental Ecological Screening Tool (NEST) to assess developmental risk and resilience across neurodevelopmental, caregiver, and environmental domains.
- Employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the associations between ACE scores, caregiver distress, housing instability, and neurodevelopmental constructs.
- Examined a sample of 231 children aged 3-5 years living in poverty and experiencing homelessness.
Main Results:
- Fifty-five percent of the sample reported high ACE scores (> 3), correlating with diminished attention, social skills, and emotional regulation.
- Higher ACE scores were significantly associated with increased caregiver distress (0.17 SD units, p < .001).
- Caregiver distress was linked to lower child neurodevelopmental functioning (0.26 SD units, p = .001).
- Housing instability strongly predicted ACEs (0.78 increase per unit, p = .004), with four or more moves associated with the poorest neurodevelopmental outcomes (53% of sample).
Conclusions:
- An ecological, developmental perspective is essential for understanding early adversity's impact on children.
- Housing stability is a critical factor in child developmental well-being and should be integrated into ACE scale conceptualizations.
- Reciprocal caregiver-child relationships mean ACE impacts are bidirectional, necessitating systemic approaches to improve child well-being.
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