B3990 - Understanding developmental trajectories of risk and resilience amongst children who experienced adverse childhood experiences - 21/02/2022
Children who experience adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are at greater risk for psychiatric disorders, chronic health diseases, and poor educational and social outcomes. Experiencing ACEs such as abuse, neglect or bullying in childhood increases vulnerability to poor developmental outcomes, yet not all children who experience such adversity go on to develop adjustment difficulties. Sources of resilience exist on multiple levels: individual characteristics including biological predisposition and psychological coping styles; physical, economic and social capital offered to children and caregivers; psychosocial interventions by mental health, social welfare, and education providers; and government policies that prioritise or neglect maltreated children. This project will integrate methods from social epidemiology and developmental psychology to understand the trajectories of risk and resilience amongst children who experienced ACEs, by using longitudinal analysis and advanced statistical methods to examine risk and protective factors at the individual, family, school and community level. Findings will inform intervention strategies and policies aimed at promoting resilience amongst vulnerable children.