Prevalence of adverse childhood experiences and their cumulative impact associated lifetime health outcomes in the Emirate of Abu-Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

BACKGROUND: Adverse Childhood Experiences have been associated with poor health outcomes later in life. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine the relationship between cumulative ACEs, risky health behaviors, chronic diseases, and mental health among a large-scale sample from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed with 922 participants over the age of 18, living in Abu Dhabi. METHODS: The Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) was used to assess ACEs, alongside a survey of adult health outcomes, mental health outcomes, and risk-taking behaviors. RESULTS: Logistic regression models examined the association between retrospective ACEs and these outcomes. The respondents reported an average of 1.74 ACEs. The most prevalent ACEs were household violence, parental death or divorce, and community violence. The accumulation of ACEs significantly predicts increases in the risk of a variety of adult-onset health morbidities, all measured mental health morbidities, and all measured risk-taking behaviors, with evidence of thresholds of ACE accumulation dictating risk. CONCLUSIONS: The baseline presence of ACEs among this Abu Dhabi sample, along with the associated risks of physical and mental health morbidities, and risk-taking behaviors play a significant role in understanding the extent, nature, and associated sequalae of ACEs in this population; providing nuanced context for early intervention. Our findings will inform the planning and implementation of specific prevention and awareness raising programs while promoting safe environments where children are healthy and can thrive.

Infant and early childhood mental health consultation in a diverse metropolitan area.

IECMHC can and should be a vehicle that promotes greater equity in access to high quality relationships within an early classroom environment. It is important to consider consultation through a racial equity lens to ensure that it is integrated in all levels of work. The goal of the study was to replicate the results from other IECMHC programs with a diverse, largely Latinx, population. The Jump Start program was given the unique opportunity to adapt the Georgetown Framework of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation to a multicultural population in Miami. A total of 88 early learning programs and 244 teachers participated. Services were provided in English, Spanish, and Creole at the program- and classroom-level. Pre- and post-data were collected at both levels. Significant improvements at the program- and classroom-level were found post-consultation. Consultants demonstrated fidelity to core program practices while providing culturally and linguistically competent service. The current study replicated findings regarding the effectiveness of IECMHC while expanding results to a diverse metropolitan community. Key features of program success may be attributed to the use of highly trained consultants, action planning, fidelity monitoring, and enrollment of programs that were ready and have a champion for IECMHC.

Dejándolo en manos de la gente. La transformación del papel de los vecinos de North Capitol Community / Taking it the streets: residents´ role transformation in the North Capitol Community

A la sombra del Capitolio de los Estados Unidos, un equipo de investigadores de la universidad y socios comunitarios inició un proyecto para la prevención de la violencia. La necesidad de tal iniciativa provenía del escaso impacto que tenían los 16 programas establecidos para la prevención de la violencia junto con docenas de proyectos de visitas a domicilio, prevención de drogas, conservación de la familia y otros apoyos a la familia en esta zona geográfica relativamente pequeña. Inicialmente, nuestra experiencia era similar a las de otros investigadores comunitarios que vienen de fuera para ayudar a los residentes a superar sus altos índices de delincuencia y de fracaso escolar: se identificaron agencias comunitarias como socios, se recogieron datos que respaldaran la necesidad de la intervención y se consiguió financiación federal. Posteriormente, nuestra intervención se diferenció de las demás porque se implementó dentro de un marco de acción participativa. Para ello, se contó con líderes naturales de la comunidad (no administradores de organizaciones) y a través de un proceso de consenso, se formó un grupo de ciudadanos concienciados que dirigieron la implementación y la evaluación de un programa piloto para reducir la violencia juvenil. Nuestra experiencia proporciona lecciones sobre cómo involucrar a los residentes comunitarios en sus nuevos papeles como entrenadores e investigadores comunitarios, además de mostrar algunos retos en el marco de la acción participativa (AU)