Article
Claypool & Moore de Peralta-2021-The influence of ACEs on developmental and health outcomes of Latinx children.pdf
International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice
(2021)
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to synthesize existing literature to analyze the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of the Adverse Childhood Experiences’ (ACEs) framework alongside the influences of other ACEs and toxic stress on child development and lifelong health outcomes of Latinx children in the United States (U.S.). The COVID-19 pandemic has shown to exacerbate childhood adversity and toxic stress, particularly related to family experiences of health, economic, nutritional, and housing insecurity. It has disproportionately harmed Latinx communities. In applying the framework of ACEs to Latinx populations in the U.S., relevant findings concerning adversity expand beyond the parameters of ACEs, suggesting that its criterion may not be inclusive of all adverse events and conditions impactful to their development and health outcomes. Latinx individuals report undifferentiated rates and first-generation immigrants report lower-than-average rates of ACEs despite the various disparities ethnic minorities face in the U.S. It is debated whether this health paradox arises because of the failure of ACEs to properly identify the adverse experiences unique to immigrants, or if immigrant families exhibit protective cultural factors that instill resilience in their children. As childhood adversity shapes the physical, mental, and social health of individuals through both the immediate impacts upon early development and the long-term effects on health outcomes in adulthood, these findings are particularly important. This literature review highlights the compounding experiences of pandemic-related hardship, discrimination, and immigration anxieties that have likely worsened the state of Latinx children’s mental health, implying an urgent need for widespread trauma-informed intervention.
Keywords
- COVID-19,
- Latinx communities,
- Adverse Childhood Experiences,
- ACEs,
- Toxic stress,
- Child development,
- Health outcomes
Disciplines
Publication Date
Summer July 11, 2021
DOI
10.1007/s42448-021-00080-y
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Citation Information
Claypool, N. & Moore de Peralta, A. (2021). The Influence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Including the COVID-19 Pandemic, and Toxic Stress on Development and Health Outcomes of Latinx Children in the USA: A Review of the Literature. International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice, 1-22. DOI: 10.1007/s42448-021-00080-y. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42448-021-00080-y.