According to the study: “Adverse childhood experiences, commonly called ACEs, can include witnessing parents fight or go through a divorce, having a parent with a mental illness or substance abuse problem, or suffering from sexual, physical or emotional abuse.”
“As the total number of ACEs a child encounters increases, school performance and engagement decreases,” said lead study author Dr. Angelica Robles, a developmental behavioral pediatrician at Novant Health in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Children exposed to four or more ACEs were more than twice as likely to repeat one or more grades at school, four times more likely to routinely skip homework, and three times more likely report not caring much about school, researchers report in Pediatrics.”
“The strongest protective factor this study determined was having a parent that can talk to their child about things that matter and share ideas,” Robles said by email. “By having open communication and positive daily conversation, they build a stronger relationship with their child, which has the most protective effect.”
