Role of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Intersecting Identities on Adolescents' School Engagement in the United States*

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of adverse childhood experiences (i.e., ACEs) and intersecting identities (i.e., gender and ethnicity) on school engagement among adolescents in the United States. METHODS: We analyzed the 2021 National Survey of Children's Health Data. RESULTS: We first identified four ACE classes, with each class representing different proportions of intersecting identities: No ACEs, Multiple Low Risk, Mental Health Issues, and Multiple High Risk. We then found significant differences in school engagement across the ACE class memberships and eight different intersecting identities, both separately and together. When we investigated ACE class memberships and intersecting identities separately, the results underscored the pervasive negative impact of the Multiple High Risk class on school engagement across all intersecting identities. Regarding intersecting identities, Asian female adolescents exhibited the highest school engagement levels, while White male adolescents had the lowest. When considering both ACE class memberships and intersecting identities, Asian male, Black female, Black male, Hispanic male, and White male adolescents in the Multiple High Risk class demonstrated lower school engagement levels, which contrasted with the results when examining only either intersecting identities or ACEs. IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY, PRACTICE, AND EQUITY: These findings highlight the importance of addressing both factors in school health policies and practices to better support various adolescent populations. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides a foundation for future studies and informs the development of more equitable, trauma-informed school policies and practices to foster student engagement.