Examining Interventions for Pediatric Adverse Childhood Experiences at Immokalee
Immokalee Regional Director Javier Rosado, Ph.D., and Clerkship Faculty Alicia Fernandez-Garcia, M.D., have co-authored an article published in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care titled “Examining Interventions for Pediatric Adverse Childhood Experiences in an Integrated Primary Care Setting.”
The study highlights how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) contribute to both long-term chronic health issues and neurobehavioral challenges during childhood and adolescence. The research focused on interventions in a pediatric primary care setting that integrated behavioral health services. Immediate interventions following positive ACE screenings included psychoeducation, crisis management, mental health referrals, and case management. For follow-up, the study involved skills training, cognitive-behavioral therapy, behavior management strategies, motivation-based interventions, and symptom surveillance for observation in significant decreases in psychosocial problems and adolescent depression.
The findings demonstrated significant reductions in psychosocial problems and adolescent depression, underscoring the effectiveness of integrated behavioral health care in improving psychosocial functioning and mood in children with positive ACE screenings. These insights are particularly valuable for nurse practitioners seeking to implement or enhance ACE screening and intervention programs in primary care settings.