TY - JOUR
T1 - A cross-cultural examination of adverse childhood experiences in low-and middle-income countries and their relation with adolescent educational aspirations
AU - Alcaraz, Melissa
AU - Pierce, Hayley
AU - Eggum, Natalie D.
AU - Nuño-Gutiérrez, Bertha Lidia
AU - Ghimire, Dirgha
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2024/6
Y1 - 2024/6
N2 - Background: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur before the age of 18. Researchers have examined the negative associations between adversity and adolescent and adult outcomes, such as education and physical health. However, research on ACEs, and their association with other outcomes in non-western contexts is sparse. Objective: The present study aims to increase our understanding of the prevalence of ACEs – and their association with educational aspirations – in low- and middle-income country contexts. Participants and setting: We utilize data from the Family Migration and Early Life Outcomes (FAMELO) project, a multi-site survey project that collected data from families in historically high-migration contexts. ACEs and educational aspirations were measured in children aged 11 to17 years in Mexico (n = 853), Mozambique (n = 651), and Nepal (n = 1180). Methods: We use Poisson regressions to examine the prevalence of ACEs in multiple cultures, and then use multinomial logistic regressions to examine whether ACEs are associated with educational aspirations, as a practical application of the utility of the ACEs framework in cross-cultural contexts. Results: Our results suggest that adolescents in Mozambique have a higher average number of ACEs (2.7) than adolescents in Mexico (1.4) and Nepal (1.3). Female adolescents reported fewer ACEs, while socioeconomic vulnerabilities (low-income and low parental education) were associated with higher exposure to ACEs, with differences by country. Lastly, ACEs were associated with lower educational aspirations in Mexico and Nepal. Conclusions: Our study attempted to heed the call of many scholars who have pushed for an expansion of research on ACEs in non-western, low- and middle-income country contexts.
AB - Background: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur before the age of 18. Researchers have examined the negative associations between adversity and adolescent and adult outcomes, such as education and physical health. However, research on ACEs, and their association with other outcomes in non-western contexts is sparse. Objective: The present study aims to increase our understanding of the prevalence of ACEs – and their association with educational aspirations – in low- and middle-income country contexts. Participants and setting: We utilize data from the Family Migration and Early Life Outcomes (FAMELO) project, a multi-site survey project that collected data from families in historically high-migration contexts. ACEs and educational aspirations were measured in children aged 11 to17 years in Mexico (n = 853), Mozambique (n = 651), and Nepal (n = 1180). Methods: We use Poisson regressions to examine the prevalence of ACEs in multiple cultures, and then use multinomial logistic regressions to examine whether ACEs are associated with educational aspirations, as a practical application of the utility of the ACEs framework in cross-cultural contexts. Results: Our results suggest that adolescents in Mozambique have a higher average number of ACEs (2.7) than adolescents in Mexico (1.4) and Nepal (1.3). Female adolescents reported fewer ACEs, while socioeconomic vulnerabilities (low-income and low parental education) were associated with higher exposure to ACEs, with differences by country. Lastly, ACEs were associated with lower educational aspirations in Mexico and Nepal. Conclusions: Our study attempted to heed the call of many scholars who have pushed for an expansion of research on ACEs in non-western, low- and middle-income country contexts.
KW - Adverse childhood experiences
KW - Cross-cultural
KW - Education
KW - Mexico
KW - Mozambique
KW - Nepal
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U2 - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106756
DO - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106756
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85188735039
SN - 0145-2134
VL - 152
JO - Child Abuse and Neglect
JF - Child Abuse and Neglect
M1 - 106756
ER -