About the ACEs catalogue

How do I use the ACEs catalogue?

You can view and download our instructions for the ACEs catalogue.

What is the ACEs catalogue?

The ACEs catalogue is a database of research studies about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Since 2018, members of the Determinants of Child Development (DCD) Lab at the University of Calgary have reviewed thousands of articles, dissertations, and abstracts to determine whether the study included a measure of ACEs prevalence and/or an association between ACEs and one or more outcomes. We created a set of cataloguing codes to capture information about what outcomes of ACEs were measured in each study.

The ACEs catalogue includes two collections: original studies and review studies. Original studies are research reports that involve the collection, analysis, and discussion of new data collected directly from participants. Review studies are research syntheses of existing original studies. The ACEs catalogue only includes review studies that are systematic, meaning they used a structured, well-defined search strategy to locate all of the available original studies addressing a research question to give a complete and unbiased view of the literature on the topic.

Who is the ACEs catalogue for?

The ACEs catalogue is intended as a resource for researchers, practitioners, and health system decision makers. The collection of original studies is primarily intended for researchers. Researchers can use the catalogue to identify research gaps to guide new original studies and conduct searches for new review studies. The collection of reviews is intended for all audiences. Practitioners and decision makers can use the collection of reviews to efficiently learn about the state of research on a topic related to ACEs without having to read multiple studies. Researchers can use the collection of reviews to find out which topics need a first or updated systematic review or meta-analysis, or to conduct an umbrella review (see Glossary).

How was the ACEs catalogue created?

The searches for the ACEs catalogue are conducted with assistance from a research librarian at the University of Calgary. Members of the DCD Lab worked with the librarian to compile a list of search terms to be entered into four bibliographic databases - Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL (original studies only). Five searches have been conducted for original studies between 2018 and 2026, and two searches have been conducted for review studies between 2023 and 2026. Search terms include “adverse childhood experience”, “adverse childhood event”, and the acronym “ACE”. Following the searches, the resulting articles undergo screening by two independent reviewers to determine if they meet the inclusion criteria for the catalogue.

How frequently is the ACEs catalogue updated?

We update the search every 12-18 months. The collection of original studies currently contains articles for research published up to February 2024. The collection of review studies currently contains articles published up to December 2023.

What studies are included in the ACEs catalogue?

Original Studies:

  1. Used a measure of ACEs that included questions about both abuse/neglect (physical, emotional, or sexual abuse; physical or emotional neglect) and household dysfunction (parental divorce; parental domestic violence; incarceration, substance use, mental health problems within the household).
  2. The measure of ACEs included between 6 and 12 items.
  3. Published article, conference abstract, or dissertation that reported on primary data.
  4. Published in English.

Review Studies:

  1. Used an unbiased search strategy that is clearly explained, including which databases were searched, the search terms used, and the inclusion/exclusion criteria used.
  2. The conceptualization of ACEs included abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, as reflected in the definition provided, search terms, and inclusion criteria.
  3. ACEs were a central topic, either as a predictor, outcome, or defining characteristic of the population under study.
  4. Published in English.

How is the ACEs catalogue coded?

Articles are manually coded by members of the DCD Lab. To verify agreement, at least 20% of articles are independently double coded. Disagreements are resolved through discussion and consensus.

Articles are coded based on main topic areas that fall under 13 categories:

  1. Mental health
  2. Physical health
  3. Risk-taking behaviours
  4. Social functioning
  5. Emotions and Personality
  6. Cognitive functioning
  7. Childhood development
  8. Neurobiological functioning
  9. Resilience and Coping
  10. Pregnancy and Birth
  11. Parenting
  12. Screening and Assessment (reviews only)
  13. Prevention and Treatment (reviews only)

What research has been done using the ACEs catalogue?

Below is a non-exhaustive list of published research articles using the ACEs catalogue:

Cooke, J. E., Racine, N., Pador, P., & Madigan, S. (2021). Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences and Child Behavior Problems: A Systematic Review. Pediatrics, 148(3), e202004413. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-044131

Madigan, S., Deneault, A., Racine, N., Park, J., Thiemann, R., Zhu, J., Dimitropoulos, G., Williamson, T., Fearon, P., Cénat, J. M., McDonald, S., Devereux, C., & Neville, R. D. (2023). Adverse childhood experiences: a meta‐analysis of prevalence and moderators among half a million adults in 206 studies. World Psychiatry, 22(3), 463–471. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.21122

Madigan, S., Thiemann, R., Deneault, A. A., Fearon, R. M. P., Racine, N., Park, J., Lunney, C. A., Dimitropoulos, G., Jenkins, S., Williamson, T., & Neville, R. D. (2025). Prevalence of adverse childhood experiences in child population samples: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatrics, 179(1), 19-33. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.4385

Racine, N., Devereaux, C., Cooke, J. E., Eirich, R., Zhu, J., & Madigan, S. (2021). Adverse childhood experiences and maternal anxiety and depression: A meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-03017-w

Racine, N., Deneault, A. A., Thiemann, R., Turgeon, J., Zhu, J., Cooke, J., & Madigan, S. (2023). Intergenerational transmission of parent adverse childhood experiences to child outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Abuse & Neglect, 106479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106479

Zhu J., Deneault, A. A., Turgeon, J., Madigan, S. (2025). Caregiver and Child Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Meta-Analysis. Pediatrics, 155(2), e2024068578. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2024-068578

Zhu, J., Exner-Cortens, D., Dobson, K., Wells, L., Noel, M., & Madigan, S. (2024). Adverse childhood experiences and intimate partner violence: A meta-analysis. Development and Psychopathology, 36(2), 929-943. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954579423000196

Zhu, J., MacIsaac-Jones, M. A. C., Jenkins, S., Yeates, K. O., & Madigan, S. (2025). Association between adverse childhood experiences score and traumatic brain injury occurrence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Neurotrauma, 42, 1907–1917. https://doi.org/10.1177/08977151251372608

Zhu, J., Racine, N., Devereux, C., Hodgins, D. C., & Madigan, S. (2023). Associations between adverse childhood experiences and substance use: A meta-analysis. Child Abuse & Neglect, 106431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106431