P039. Examining the influence of adverse childhood experiences on mental health, recovery capital, and quality of life for parents in family treatment courts

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Abstract

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are serious childhood traumas that can result in toxic stress. Serious traumas include exposure to childhood maltreatment, and household challenges including violence, mental illness, or substance misuse in the home, parental separation or divorce, or incarceration of a household member. Exposure to ACEs can have a lasting impact on one’s physical or mental health, risk for infectious or chronic disease, and engagement in risky behaviors like substance misuse. While ACEs are common across populations, developmental exposure to toxic stress has been found in 54% of the addiction population. It is estimated that 60-80% of all substantiated child welfare cases in the US involve parents with substance use disorders (SUD). This research examines the impact of ACES on mental health, recovery capital, and quality of life among parents with SUD enrolled in family treatment courts (FTCs). FTCs are designed to improve family health and well-being by providing substance use treatment, therapeutic services, social supports, and judicial supervision to strengthen recovery. FTC parents (n=104) were surveyed about their childhood experiences, mental health, recovery capital, and quality of life at five timepoints over 30 months. Two-thirds of parents reported three or more ACEs. At baseline, ACE scores correlated negatively with mental health and quality of life, but not with recovery capital. When examining changes over time, there were significant improvements in mental health, psychological quality of life and social quality of life; however, recovery capital, physical quality of life and environmental quality of life remained stable. While the level of ACES did not moderate change over time, further analyses will examine potential moderating and mediating factors including perpetration and victimization, SUD treatment type, and SUD treatment dosage. Implications for how FTCs can support successful parenting in recovery and mitigate risk factors for disease and well-being will be addressed.

Authors

• Danielle Rivers, Georgia State University

• Wendy P Guastaferro, Florida Atlantic University

• Amanda Norris, Georgia State University

• Daniel J. Whitaker, Georgia State University