The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) studies transformed our understanding of the true burden of trauma. Notable elements of Felitti and colleagues' findings include the influence of adversity on many physical as well as psychological problems and the persistence of impacts decades after the traumas occurred. In this article, we make the case that the most revolutionary finding was the discovery of a strong dose-response effect, with marked increases in risk observed for individuals who reported four or more adversities. Over the past two decades, our understanding of the cumulative burden of trauma has expanded further, with recognition that experiences outside the family, including peer victimization, community violence, and racism, also contribute to trauma dose. Recent research has provided evidence for the pervasiveness of trauma, which we now realize affects most people, even by the end of adolescence. Extensive scientific evidence has documented that more than 40 biopsychosocial outcomes, including leading causes of adult morbidity and mortality, are associated with adverse childhood experiences, measured by dose. We summarize the state of science and explain how ACEs built a movement for uncovering mechanisms responsible for these relationships. Perhaps unexpectedly, the pervasiveness of trauma also expands our understanding of resilience, which is likewise more common than previously recognized. Emerging research on positive childhood experiences and poly-strengths suggests that individual, family, and community strengths may also contribute to outcomes in a dose-response relationship. We close with an agenda for research, intervention, and policy to reduce the societal burden of adversity and promote resilience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

While risk factors associated with IPV are well-researched, little is known about factors related to resilient functioning, especially among minority populations. Knowledge gained from this study can advance the field of violence research by its identification of potentially mutable variables related to resilience. Such research could be applied to developing strength-based interventions for at-risk populations of violence-exposed women.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive problem impacting individuals around the globe. The consequences of IPV extend beyond the adults in the relationship, as children witness a significant proportion of such violence. Exposure to IPV during childhood has devastating effects across multiple domains of functioning. This article reviews empirical studies of the effects of exposure to IPV by developmental stage. The psychological, social, physical, and cognitive consequences of witnessing IPV are examined across development; from the impact of prenatal exposure to effects in infancy and toddlerhood, the preschool years, school-aged children, and adolescence. The review concludes by providing suggestions for future research based on the identified developmental variations, recommendations for developmentally-sensitive interventions for children who have witnessed IPV, and directions for policy to address the issue of violence exposure early in the lives of children.

This study examined the indirect effects of individual, relational, and contextual resilience in the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and prenatal depression. Participants included 101 pregnant women. Adverse childhood experiences had a direct effect on depression, B = 1.11, standard error = .44, p = .01, and relational resilience, B = −1.15, standard error = .19, p < .001, but not individual or contextual resilience. With resilience as a mediator, the effect of adverse childhood experiences on depression was no longer significant. Specifically, relational resilience had a significant indirect effect (IE) on the association between adverse childhood experiences and depression, IE = 1.04, boot standard error = .28 (95% confidence interval = .58, 1.68). Results emphasize the associated role of relational qualities, such as sense of security and belongingness, with childhood adversity and mental health.