Changes in Aggressive Behaviors over Time in Children with Adverse Childhood Experiences: Focusing on the Role of School Connectedness

Previous research has found the link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and externalizing behaviors later in adolescence and adulthood. However, limited studies have explored longitudinal trajectories of aggressive behaviors affected by ACEs. This study aimed to investigate how aggressive behaviors change over time and compare the trajectories of aggressive behaviors between children with three or fewer (low-risk ACEs) and those with four or more ACEs (high-risk ACEs) with the role of school connectedness on the trajectories of aggressive behaviors over time. The study sample consisted of 4231 children collected by the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal birth cohort study focusing on children in high-risk families across 20 U.S. cities. The mean age of the sample was 15.59 years, with 81.9% of the participants being minorities and 51.9% being boys. The results indicated that children with high-risk ACEs showed twice as high levels of aggressive behaviors as those with low-risk ACEs. School connectedness decreased the starting level and change rate of aggressive behavior for children with high-risk ACEs, while it decreased the starting level of aggressive behavior for those with low-risk ACEs. These findings underscore the protective role of school connectedness on aggressive behavior. Practitioners and policymakers need to make an effort to build safe and supportive social environments for all children, especially for children with high-risk ACEs.