Early Exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences and Youth Delinquent Behavior in Fragile Families

Keywords

adverse childhood experiences, the life course perspective, delinquency

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been identified as a key risk factor for a variety of negative health, psychiatric, and behavioral outcomes across the life course. Although recent research has begun to consider the role of ACEs in criminogenic behaviors among youth, few studies to date have assessed the association between early exposure to ACEs and delinquent behavior among nonincarcerated youth. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCW; n = 3,402) and a life course theoretical framework, this study aims to address this gap in the literature by examining the relationships between individual, cumulative, and clustering of ACEs and delinquency in the lives of youth. The results of our empirical study indicate that individual, cumulative, and clustering of ACEs by the age of 5 years are associated with youth delinquent behavior. Based on our results, sociologists and criminologists should critically consider the role of ACEs in understanding youth delinquency.

Original Publication Citation

Jones, Melissa and Hayley Pierce. (2020) “Early Exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences and Youth Delinquent Behavior in Fragile Families.” Youth and Society.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2020-03-01

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/6909

Publisher

Youth & Society

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Sociology

University Standing at Time of Publication

Assistant Professor

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