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Overview
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic and stressful events that occur from birth to adolescence. This can include physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. Ontario has some of the highest rates of adverse child experiences in Canada, yet there are gaps in understanding who is most effected.
While prior national and international research examines ACEs as an individual-level risk factor for poor outcomes in later life, this study aims to understand how poor outcomes are shaped by the intersection of ACEs and the wider social and structural determinants of health.
Research questions
- How common are adverse childhood experiences (overall and by type) in Ontario?
- How do experiences of adverse childhood experiences differ by sociodemographic characteristics, health and social factors?
What we did
This study is a secondary analysis of Ontario respondents in two Canadian sets of data:
- Statistics Canada’s 2019 General Social Survey: A nationally representative, cross-sectional survey of the Canadian population aged 15 and older that is designed to monitor changes in the well-being of Canadians and provide insights into specific social policy issues that are of current or emerging interest.
- The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging: A population-based longitudinal study on health and aging that is following a stratified sample of 51,338 Canadians who are, at baseline 45 to 85 years old.
Key finding
Individuals who experience negative health and social outcomes in adulthood, including further victimization, are more likely to have a history of adverse childhood experiences.
Key recommendation
The findings highlight the need for approaches that address the full spectrum of prevention to mitigation of ACEs, as well as the ongoing impact of ACEs across the life course, with a focus on those disproportionately affected.
We are grateful for funding from the Ministry of Health of the Province of Ontario, which enabled this study.