PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have become a significant public health concern in the U.S. ACEs are
potentially traumatic events that occur to children under the age of 18, including all types of abuse, neglect,
and exposure to household challenges (e.g., having lived with a household member with substance use
disorder). Varying sources suggest that 50-60% of U.S. adults report at least one ACE, and 15-25% report
three or more. These statistics are concerning because experiencing ACEs has been shown to negatively
affect various aspects of adult lives, including health outcomes, relationships, and financial and social status.
Despite this established research, the impact of ACEs has not been studied in the context of caregiving for
aging parents. Extensive prior studies have identified a comprehensive list of risk and protective factors related
to caregiver stress; however, these factors tend to be proximal with little attention given to distal or early life
course factors such as ACEs. Relying on the life course perspective, the proposed research aims to examine
the effect that ACEs have on the experience and outcomes of caregiving for aging parents. Using nationally
representative data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) studies, secondary data analyses will be
performed to address the first two aims: 1) Describe the prevalence and characteristics of filial caregivers who
experienced ACEs, and 2) Examine the effect of ACEs in the association between daily caregiving and short-
and long-term health outcomes. The second aim particularly focuses on exploring caregivers’ physiological
functioning using daily cortisol levels to successfully quantify stress effects associated with filial caregiving. In
addition, qualitative research will be conducted to address the third aim: 3) Explore caregivers’ experience of
ACEs and illustrate whether and how ACEs affect their caregiving experience in terms of stress sources and
the strategies they use to cope with caregiving stress. This K01 award would provide Dr. Jooyoung Kong with
the training required to become an independent scholar and leading expert in later-life family relationships and
caregiving for adults who experienced childhood trauma and adversity. The proposed training plan would allow
Dr. Kong to receive instruction and mentorship toward meeting the following career goals: 1) Increase
substantive knowledge in psychobiology; 2) Obtain advanced training in quantitative research methods and
analysis; and 3) Gain advanced training in qualitative research methods and analysis. The K01 award will lead
to an R01 grant application that will propose to conduct primary data collection to further investigate caregivers
with histories of ACEs informed by Dr. Kong’s newly acquired substantive knowledge and methodological
skills. Ultimately, this research will inform novel programs and policies to improve the health and well-being of
family caregivers whose roles are becoming more significant in the current aging society.