Childhood experiences — opportunities and stressors; stable and strained relationships; and factors that promote and detract from well-being — are particularly impactful in shaping a person’s life. While adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), like exposure to violence, abuse, substance abuse, or mental illness, may lead to long-term health and social consequences, positive childhood experiences (PCEs) — like nurturing relationships between a trusted adult and a child, and supportive communities — can mitigate the impact of ACEs and help children thrive.
Understanding both ACEs and PCEs is essential to develop strategies that better support children and prevent negative health outcomes that can affect adulthood. State agencies and other community stakeholders can play a critical role by collecting data on ACEs and PCEs to better understand the incidence of each in their communities. With a clear picture based on data, state agencies and partners can then design and implement data-driven strategies to address ACEs and promote PCEs, like evidence-based programming and public education campaigns, in partnership with communities and families.
Like many states, New Jersey has worked to develop capacity to prevent and respond to ACEs while supporting PCEs. This blog post shares findings from recent analyses of ACE and PCE data, and how these data are informing New Jersey’s prevention strategies.
Understanding the Data and Applying the Findings
Through support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s initiative, Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences: Data to Action, the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) partnered with the Camden Coalition, state agencies, four Regional Health Hubs, and community-based organizations to better understand the incidence and impact of ACEs in New Jersey through data. As part of this work, CHCS regularly convenes a Data Leadership Team, which includes these partners and other leaders with lived experience to inform the analysis, interpretation, and application of data.
The data analysis used multiple sources, including the Youth Risk Behavior Survey — a survey administered to high school students bi-annually to measure behaviors that can impact youth health — and state and local agency administrative data, including birth and death records from the New Jersey Department of Health, substantiated and established child maltreatment claims from the Department of Children and Families, and parental mental health and substance use data from Regional Health Hubs in Trenton, Newark, Camden, and Paterson to learn more about childhood experiences across the state.
Findings from the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey show that about three out of every 10 high school students in New Jersey experienced at least one ACE, like sexual violence, bullying, discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, dating violence, food insecurity, and homelessness. Some students experienced more than one ACE. Indicators of PCEs were also common, although only about half of students reported regularly eating with their families, and about one out of four shared they had a trusted adult to talk to in their life.
The data raised questions about the impact of social determinants of health (like income, housing, education, health care, and neighborhood environment) and structural factors (like institutional racism) on ACEs and PCEs. To learn more about what CHCS and the Camden Coalition have learned about ACEs and PCEs in New Jersey, view the data profile.
These data findings highlight the need for multifaceted approaches, including prevention and early intervention strategies, and promoting positive relationships — all of which are informing the development of a statewide ACEs prevention strategy in New Jersey, including Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) and a public education campaign related to PCEs. The data have helped focus in on the needs and strengths of communities in New Jersey. For example, CHCS is working with state and local partners to continue outreach in communities that experience ACEs at high rates and ensure that children and youth are supported and have the resources to thrive. CHCS is also partnering with NJ DCF’s Office of Resilience to create a public education campaign to promote parent-child connectedness statewide, which is a key contributor to PCEs.
Looking Ahead
Tracking ACEs and PCEs can help paint a picture of what is happening in communities. These data support stakeholders, including state agencies, to more effectively implement supportive strategies for life-long health and well-being. When interpreting findings, collaboration with diverse stakeholders, including community members, is key to more deeply understanding the data and creating sustainable, impactful prevention strategies. By building a robust surveillance infrastructure that draws from multiple sources and centering collaboration among stakeholders, states can more effectively and holistically respond to the complex factors influencing both positive and traumatic childhood experiences.
