From ACEs to Adaptive Outcomes: Understanding Risk and Protective Mechanisms in Families
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Authors
Boutilier, Jenna
Issue Date
2025-10-14
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
ACEs , Adverse Childhood Experiences , parenting behaviors , intergenerational adversity , intergenerational cycles
Alternative Title
Abstract
Understanding how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are transmitted across generations is critical for promoting child and family wellbeing. This study synthesizes empirical evidence examining maternal and paternal pathways, relational and contextual factors, and protective mechanisms that influence caregiving and child outcomes. Major findings indicate that maternal and paternal histories of adversity are associated with increased psychological distress, impaired reflective functioning, and disrupted caregiving, which in turn elevate children’s risk for emotional, behavioral, and developmental challenges. Family relational patterns, socioeconomic disadvantage, and co-parenting quality further moderate these pathways, while protective factors—including resilience, social support, positive and compensatory experiences (PACEs), and trauma-informed interventions—mitigate intergenerational risk. Implications for practice include early identification of parents with ACE histories, strengthening parental mental health supports, fostering high-quality co-parenting and relational functioning, and integrating structured interventions that cultivate protective factors, thereby promoting adaptive developmental outcomes and disrupting cycles of adversity.
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License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
openAccess
openAccess