ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Life-Course Epidemiology and Social Inequalities in Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1652564
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Lifelong Impacts of Toxic Stress in Childhood: Pathways to Chronic Disease and Strategies for PreventionView all articles
ACEs, RESILIENCE, AND DISASTER PLANNING Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Personal Resilience on Household Emergency Preparedness: Considerations for Disaster Planning
Provisionally accepted
Tara Heagele1*
William Ellery Samuels1
Sarah Kaplan2Lisa Wilcox3
Taryn Amberson4Charleen McNeill5Lavonne M Adams6- 1Hunter College (CUNY), New York City, United States
- 2Hunter College, New York, United States
- 3East Carolina University, Greenville, United States
- 4University of Washington, Seattle, United States
- 5The University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center College of Nursing, Memphis, United States
- 6Towson University, Towson, United States
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Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events occurring during childhood that can affect adulthood health and wellness, including preparedness for disasters. This study aimed to understand how ACEs, personality traits, personal resilience, and healthcare provider discussions of preparedness affect household emergency preparedness to inform interventions for individuals with a history of ACEs. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted through an internet-based survey of 311 US adults using six evidence-based instruments: ACEs Questionnaire, Big Five Inventory, Chapman University Survey on American Fears, Grit-S, Brief Resilient Coping Scale, and the Household Emergency Preparedness Instrument. Results: Although most participants had experienced at least one ACE, there was no significant relationship between ACEs and disaster preparedness. Income, confidence in preparedness, and emotional reactivity were more predictive. Conclusions: Findings can guide the development of tailored community interventions and policies to improve disaster preparedness among individuals with a history of childhood trauma.
Keywords: adult survivors of childhood adverse experiences1, disaster planning2, disasters3, preparedness4, Public Health5, readiness6, resilience psychologica7
Received: 01 Jul 2025; Accepted: 21 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Heagele, Samuels, Kaplan, Wilcox, Amberson, McNeill and Adams. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Tara Heagele, th1591@hunter.cuny.edu
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