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Abstract
We utilized a life course framework to examine associations between the accumulation,
timing, and duration of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) across early childhood
(ages 1 to 5 years) and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems at age 9.
The sample included 1,789 children from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study,
a birth cohort study of children born between 1998 and 2000. Primary caregivers reported
on seven ACEs at child ages 1, 3, 5, and 9. We created two summary measures of early
childhood ACEs to capture (1) accumulation and (2) timing and duration. We derived
indicators of caregiver-reported internalizing and externalizing problems at ages
5 and 9. Logistic regression was used to estimate associations between early childhood
ACEs and behavior problems at age 9, sequentially adjusting for socio-demographic
covariates, age 9 ACEs, and age 5 behavior problems. In fully adjusted models, children
exposed to 6 ACEs in early childhood faced three times the odds of age 9 behavior
problems, compared to children exposed to 0–1 ACE. Intermittent adversity was associated
with the greatest increase in odds of age 9 behavior problems, relative to other early
childhood timing/duration categories. Categories of high early and high late adversity
were also associated with age 9 behavior problems. Chronic adversity was not associated
with age 9 behaviors in final models that adjusted for age 5 problems. These results
demonstrate the importance of a developmental perspective for understanding the role
of childhood adversity in the etiology of child psychopathology.