The long-term impact of adverse childhood experiences on externalizing aggressiveness: sensitive periods during childhood and adolescence

Abstract

The association of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with the perpetration of aggressive behavior across the lifespan has repeatedly been demonstrated. However, whereas age-specific impacts of ACEs on neural and psychological development are discussed, little is known about sensitive periods during childhood and adolescence in which ACEs may exert the most severe effects on an individual's propensity for aggression. Thus, the present study retrospectively assessed ACEs during early childhood (up to 5 years), late childhood (6–11 years), and adolescence (12 years and above) in 204 adults and examined age-dependent relations to current externalizing aggressiveness. Although the general ACE-aggression link could be replicated, no clear evidence emerged for age-specific impacts. While the total ACE burden was highest during adolescence and only ACEs during adolescence were associated with increased adult aggressiveness, the strengths of the relationships between ACEs and aggressiveness did not differ significantly depending on the examined age groups. Nevertheless, our results underscore the need for future research to implement more sophisticated age-sensitive approaches to examine the association of ACEs with aggressive behavior as an important basis for the design of promising prevention and intervention measures.