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A Quantitative Exploration into the Screening Practices of Licensed Mental Health Providers for Parental Adverse Childhood Experiences When Working with Child and Adolescent Clients

Armbrust Beach, Mindy
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2907-5300
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1637944136897449

Abstract Details

2021, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, Counselor Education and Supervision.
Previous research indicates that screening for parental Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) is a significant tool for identifying children at risk for maltreatment, in order to intervene and prevent the long-term effects of ACEs. Pediatricians have been tasked with screening for parental ACEs at well child visits, as first line of defense. Studies show that less than half of pediatricians are screening for ACEs (Szilagyi et al., 2016) and there was no literature found on the screening practices of mental health providers. The purpose of the current study was twofold, 1) to increase our understanding of licensed mental health provider’s familiarity with the seminal ACE study and their endorsement of the impacts of parental adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and 2) to understand the influence that these factors and licensed mental health provider’s personal exposure to ACEs have on their practice of screening for parental ACEs. A total of 277 mental health providers, licensed in the Midwest, completed a web-based survey consisting of a demographic questionnaire, an adapted version of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 85th Periodic Survey (PS85) (AAP, 2013), and an ACE questionnaire that included both traditional and expanded ACE items for the present study. Through the employment of three separate simple linear regressions, the results of this study indicated that 1) degree of familiarity with the seminal ACE study was not a significant predictor of frequency of screening for parental ACEs, 2) degree of endorsement of the impacts of parental ACEs is a significant predictor of frequency of screening for parental ACEs, and 3) personal exposure to ACEs was a significant predictor of frequency of screening for parental ACEs. However, previous literature and descriptive statistics of this study indicate that mental health providers are screening for parental ACEs more than pediatricians, which would indicate an increased awareness of the need to screen, as well as a need for professional collaboration to increase the opportunity for identification of at-risk youth. Clinical, research, and ethical implications are discussed. Limitations and future research recommendations are presented.
Heather Katafiasz (Committee Chair)
Rikki Patton (Committee Member)
David Tefteller (Committee Member)
Wondimu Ahmed (Committee Member)
Delila Owens (Committee Member)
162 p.
Counseling Education
Parental Adverse Childhood Experiences Screening; parental ACEs; parental ACE screening practices; mental health providers

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Armbrust Beach, M. (2021). A Quantitative Exploration into the Screening Practices of Licensed Mental Health Providers for Parental Adverse Childhood Experiences When Working with Child and Adolescent Clients [Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1637944136897449

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Armbrust Beach, Mindy. A Quantitative Exploration into the Screening Practices of Licensed Mental Health Providers for Parental Adverse Childhood Experiences When Working with Child and Adolescent Clients. 2021. University of Akron, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1637944136897449.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Armbrust Beach, Mindy. "A Quantitative Exploration into the Screening Practices of Licensed Mental Health Providers for Parental Adverse Childhood Experiences When Working with Child and Adolescent Clients." Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1637944136897449

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.