PROVO – According to two new mental health studies from Brigham Young University, traumatic events in childhood can affect girls ‘delinquency behavior and fathers’ parenting practices.
The sociology professors Dr. Melissa Jones and Dr. Hayley Pierce were working on a study that looked at how girls responded to number of negative childhood experiences (ACEs) up to the age of 5, and Dr. Kevin Shafer worked with a Boston College sociology professor studying patterns in men with previous ACEs.
ACEs – which can include abuse, neglect, and severe household dysfunction – often lead to psychological and social struggles that extend into adulthood, according to researchers.
The Jones and Pierce study showed that girls who develop four or more ACEs by the age of 5 were 36% more likely to engage in criminal or criminal behavior.
“These youngsters do criminal acts and we respond to them as criminals. We don’t respond to them as traumatized children,” Pierce said.
“Often times these children were never taught how to deal with these experiences,” added Jones.
Shafer’s study found that fathers who had three or more ACEs by age 5 were more likely to use strict disciplinary techniques in parenting than to show patience and compassion.
“We have a problem here that has a lot of men walking around with undiagnosed and untreated mental health issues related to their childhood,” Shafer said.
But there is hope. Jones admitted she came from a dysfunctional home herself, but it was the love and support of others that kept her on track.
“I’m an ACE child. I’m a product of six ACEs,” she said. “(Children) can get ahead in their lives and live very healthy lives and raise parents how they want to.”
“Hopefully this ACE research is turning our angle of intervention and saying OK, these things happened to you and we’re going to change your way because you aren’t,” Pierce said.
“It really speaks volumes about the importance of getting help and realizing the potential negative effects these things can have in the long run,” Shafer said.
Jones and Pierce’s study was published in the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, while Shafer’s study was published in the Journal of Marriage and Family.
The professors hope their findings can help everyone from political leaders to mental health experts to families find ways to help people in this situation.
Click here to learn more about the studies.
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