Presentation Information
[P-2-06]Differential Exposure of Adverse Childhood Experiences Across Ethnic Subgroups of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Youth in Northern California
*Phillip Yang1, Sara Aghaee2, Janice Tsoh1, Julianna Deardorff3, Ai Kubo2 (1.University of California, San Francisco(United States of America), 2.Kaiser Permanente Northern California(United States of America), 3.University of California, Berkeley(United States of America))
Keywords:
Child Abuse,Public Health,Asian Americans,Health Disparities,Adolescent
Introduction. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are well-established predictors of poor physical and mental health outcomes across the lifespan. Asian American (AsA) and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) populations face subgroup-specific risks, yet research on ACEs in these groups is limited. Aggregated racial data often masks critical health disparities and perpetuates harmful stereotypes. This study examines the prevalence and distribution of ACEs among disaggregated AsA and NHPI subgroups in a large clinical sample of children.
Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from Kaiser Permanente Northern California, an integrated health system that serves approximately 29% of adolescents in Northern California. The Pediatric ACEs and Related Life Events Screener was completed by caregivers of children aged 2–12 and by adolescents aged 13–18. Subgroups included Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, multiracial, multiethnic, Other South Asian, Other Southeast Asian, and NHPI youth. We used descriptive statistics to report individual ACE distributions and conducted Dunnett’s tests to compare subgroup ACE scores using Chinese youth as the reference group.
Results. Multiracial and Filipino youth had significantly higher ACE scores than Chinese youth (p<.01), while Asian Indian youth had significantly lower scores (p=.03). Domestic violence was the most common ACE across most subgroups, although emotional abuse was most common in Vietnamese participants and parental mental illness was most common in Other South Asian and multiracial participants.
Conclusions. Our study reveals meaningful variation in ACE exposure across AsA and NHPI subgroups that would be hidden under aggregate racial categories. Cultural and structural influences, including migration history, racism, and intergenerational trauma, likely contribute to these disparities. Culturally responsive ACE assessments and interventions that consider subgroup-specific contexts are essential to advancing equity in mental health care.
Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from Kaiser Permanente Northern California, an integrated health system that serves approximately 29% of adolescents in Northern California. The Pediatric ACEs and Related Life Events Screener was completed by caregivers of children aged 2–12 and by adolescents aged 13–18. Subgroups included Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, multiracial, multiethnic, Other South Asian, Other Southeast Asian, and NHPI youth. We used descriptive statistics to report individual ACE distributions and conducted Dunnett’s tests to compare subgroup ACE scores using Chinese youth as the reference group.
Results. Multiracial and Filipino youth had significantly higher ACE scores than Chinese youth (p<.01), while Asian Indian youth had significantly lower scores (p=.03). Domestic violence was the most common ACE across most subgroups, although emotional abuse was most common in Vietnamese participants and parental mental illness was most common in Other South Asian and multiracial participants.
Conclusions. Our study reveals meaningful variation in ACE exposure across AsA and NHPI subgroups that would be hidden under aggregate racial categories. Cultural and structural influences, including migration history, racism, and intergenerational trauma, likely contribute to these disparities. Culturally responsive ACE assessments and interventions that consider subgroup-specific contexts are essential to advancing equity in mental health care.