The 10-item Adverse Childhood Experience International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ-10): psychometric properties of the Dutch version in two clinical samples.

BACKGROUND

Childhood trauma has been associated with adult mental disorders, physical illness, and early death. The World Health Organization (WHO) supported the development of the Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) to explore childhood trauma in adults. We report the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire 10 items version (ACE-IQ-10) in the Netherlands.

METHODS

Confirmatory factor analysis was performed in two convenience samples of consecutive patients presenting at an outpatient specialty mental health setting between May 2015 and September 2018: Sample A (N = 298), patients with anxiety and depressive disorders; and sample B (N = 234), patients with Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders (SSRD). Criterion validity of the scales of the ACE-IQ-10 was explored by their correlation with the PHQ-9, the GAD-7, and the SF-36. The correlation between reporting sexual abuse on the ACE-IQ-10 and in a face-to-face interview was assessed as well.

RESULTS

We found support for a two-factor structure in both samples: one for directly experiencing childhood abuse and another for household dysfunction, but also support for using the total score. The correlation between reporting a sexual trauma in childhood at face-to-face interview and the sexual abuse item of the ACE-IQ-10 was r = .98 (p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The current study provides evidence on the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Dutch ACE-IQ-10 in two Dutch clinical samples. It shows clear potential of the ACE-IQ-10 for further research and clinical use. Further studies are needed to assess the ACE-IQ-10 in the Dutch general population.