Paper Title

The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Sexual Well-being among Youth Formerly in the Foster Care System

Keywords

adverse childhood experiences (ace)
sexual well-being
foster care system
youth formerly in foster care (yffc)
sexual abuse severity
childhood trauma
sexual health outcomes
mental health
substance use
family dynamics
ace measurement
trauma-informed care
public health
risk factors
resilience
child welfare
developmental outcomes
sexual behavior
abuse survivors
health disparities

Article Type

Research Article

Journal

Child Welfare

Publication Info

Volume: 97 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 165-186

Published On

March, 2020

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Abstract

This study evaluates the impact of broad and singular measures of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and severity of sexual abuse on sexual well-being among youth formerly in the foster care system (YFFC). Divorce, alcohol/drug use within the home, the presence of mental illness or a family member suicide attempt, and sexual abuse severity increased odds of negative sexual outcomes and predicted lower sexual well-being. ACE levels negatively impacted outcomes but positively impacted sexual well-being. Research must move beyond summative ACE measures to examine the impact of types of ACEs and sexual abuse severity on sexual well-being and sexual health outcomes for YFFC.