Examining the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among justice-involved youth in the US: The importance of accounting for race/ethnicity, gender, and gendered racial/ ethnic groups

Background: Youth in the U.S. juvenile justice system are exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) at higher rates than youth in the general public. Additionally, research has demonstrated ACEs can vary by race/ethnicity and gender. However, little is known about how ACEs are experienced across gendered racial/ethnic groups of justice -involved youth. Objective: To address this gap, this exploratory study is the first to apply an intersectional lens to examine the prevalence of ACEs among a group of justice -involved youth in the U.S. Participants & setting: Using secondary data, this study examines ACEs by gender, race/ethnicity, and six gendered racial/ethnic groups of justice -involved youth referred to the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Methods: Descriptive analyses are presented by gender and race/ethnicity separately, followed by gendered racial/ethnic groups to understand differential rates of exposure to ACEs. Results: The study's findings align with previous research and reinforce that justice -involved youth experience higher rates of adversity than the general public. The results also support the feminist pathway's perspective within an intersectional context, emphasizing the importance of accounting for race/ethnicity and gender simultaneously to identify the unique experiences of ACEs among justice -involved youth. Conclusion: Recommendations related to these findings and considerations surrounding ACE measures are discussed. Specifically, findings from this study stress the importance of accounting for gender and race/ethnicity simultaneously when measuring experiences of adversity. This is a critical step to providing equitable treatment and services to address trauma -related needs across gendered racial/ethnic groups of system -involved youth.