Emotional Support-Seeking Patterns Among Immigrant Caregivers of Children With Adverse Childhood Experiences in Low-Resource Settings in the United States

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to numerous poor mental health outcomes that affect vulnerable children and families. This study examined the prevalence of children’s ACEs and their association with emotional support-seeking among immigrant caregivers in low-resource communities in the United States. Using cross-sectional data from the 2023 National Survey of Children’s Health (N = 7,746), two complex logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between children's ACEs and caregivers' emotional support-seeking. Approximately 57.2% of immigrant caregivers sought emotional support during the past 12 months, and 63.3% had children exposed to atleast two or more ACEs. Caregivers of children who experienced parental divorce and family mental illness had greater odds of seeking emotional support. However, immigrant caregivers of children exposed to atleast one ACE, and two or more ACEs had lower odds of seeking emotional support. These findings underscores the need for trauma-informed, culturally and linguistically responsive mental health and social support services for immigrant caregivers and their children experiencing adversities in low-resource communities in the U.S.