In this assignment, I have researched and analyzed the ACE-Q. This questionnaire is designed to assess the level of adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s)and is used to predict the likelihood of risk adult behaviors. A higher score tends to be more indicative of risky behaviors.
The reason this was researched is because the ACE-Q is a very popular assessment tools in working with youth and young adults, yet is was developed around 30 years ago and is in need of a modern look and potential adjustments.
The main findings of this analysis are that the ACE-Q is in severe need of a modern update. The population the ACE-Q is based on is problematic at best. It is fully based on a population that was enrolled in a specific health insurance in San Diego in the 1990s, and all participants of the original study were born before 1946. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the specific question regarding parental separation does not pass the internal validity test, which means it cannot be used as a predictor and should be removed immediately. Additionally, no attention was paid to negative experiences only experienced by a specific group. One example of this would be the long-lasting impact of racist or sexist microaggressions. Finally, it does not have an eye for severity of an event, level of impact, or individual resilience.