| Name of the Instrument/Tool | Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE Questionnaire) |
| First Description |
Felitti VJ, Anda RF, Nordenberg D, et al. Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. Am J Prev Med. 1998 May;14(4):245-58. |
| Year | 1998 |
| Domains | |
| Concept of constructs | Social Function, Anxiety and depression |
| Population/Disease | Generic |
| Originally developed for | Any RMD |
| Other rheumatic diseases where can be applied (only if validated) |
--- |
| Additional population with no rheumatic diseases |
No |
| Language: Originally published in | English |
| Available in Language | German, French, Swedish, Norwegian |
| REFERENCE IDENTIFICATION | |
| Author/s | Felitti VJ, Anda RF, Nordenberg D, Williamson DF, Spitz AM, Edwards V, Koss MP, Marks JS. |
| Title | Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. |
| Journal | Am J Prev Med |
| Year | 1998 |
| Vol | 14 |
| Num | 4 |
| Pages | 245-58. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Other references of interest | |
| Link | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28865661/ |
| Brief Description |
Methods to assess adverse childhood experiences of children and families: toward approaches to promote child well-being in policy and practice. |
| Link | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29016159/ |
| Brief Description |
An examination of the test-retest reliability of the ACE-SQ in a sample of college athletes |
| Link | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33091267/ |
| Brief Description |
Measures of Psychosocial Stress and Stressful Exposures |
| Instrument/Tool Translations References | |
| Link | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20878600/ |
| Brief Description |
The reliable, valid and economic assessment of early traumatization: first psychometric characteristics of the German version of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE) |
| DEVELOPER CONTACT INFORMATION | |
| Correspondence to | Vincent J Felitti |
| vjfmdsdca@mac.com | |
| Address | Department of Preventive Medicine, Southern California Permanente Medical Group (Kaiser Permanente), San Diego 92111, USA. |
| Website | --- |
| Available | --- |
| Links | --- |
| DESCRIPTION OF THE INSTRUMENT | |
| Type Of Measure | Questionnaire |
| Brief Description |
Developed to measure the incidence of different types of traumatic exposure during childhood (first 18 years of life). The items assess prior history of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; neglect; domestic violence; and dimensions of household dysfunction, ranging from exposure to substance abuse and mental illness to parental separation and divorce. In 2018, the World Health Organization created the ACE-International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) to better capture exposures that occur in low- and middle-income countries, including community violence |
| Number of Items | ACE tool is 10 item. ACE-International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) includes 29 items |
| Range | 0-10 |
| Responses options/scale |
Yes Dichotomous (yes/no) |
| Developed for | Both |
| PRACTICAL APPLICATION | |
| Method of administration | Self-administered, Online, Interviewer/assessor |
| Recommendations to score |
Scores range from 0 to 10 on the standard ACE Questionnaire. |
| Score Interpretation | Higher scores indicate more exposure to different adverse events in the first 18 years of life. |
| Cut-off points | --- |
| Cut-off points applied to | --- |
| Smallest detectable change if described | --- |
| Smallest detectable change applied to | --- |
| Completion time by the patient | 5 minutes |
| Scoring time by the assessor | <5 minutes |
| Training to score | Not necessary |
| Strengths | Useful in clinical practice & research, Easy to use |
| Limitations | --- |
| OTHER COMMENTS | |
| Other Comments |
There is a validated short form ACE screener that shows strong convergent validity with the full ACE measure and was similarly related to the health outcomes. The short form ACE screener is made up of two items assessing exposure to household alcohol abuse and emotional abuse. Several other versions of the ACE Questionnaire exist, including the ACE-IQ, the ACE from the Center for Youth Wellness, the Philadelphia ACEs, the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being, the National Survey of Children's Health-ACEs, and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System-ACEs. They range in content but generally incorporate the standard Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Kaiser ACEs questions, use similar methodology, and demonstrate consistent associations with worse health outcomes. |