Jefferson County ACEs Survey

In the fall of 2021, Resilient Jefferson County contracted with the Applied Research and Education Center at Indiana University Southeast, to conduct a survey of Jefferson County residents to find out their Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) score. In addition to the ten commonly used ACEs questions as developed by Dr. Vincent Felitti and Dr. Robert Anda, co-authors of the original Kaiser Permanente study in the mid-1990s, the Jefferson County study also asked participants to share health information. This information was needed to see if there was any relationship between ACE scores and health outcomes.

The survey was conducted from mid-September to October 31st. Participants were recruited via social media, traditional media, flyers, and word of mouth. The survey could be completed on-line or via paper from ten distribution sites throughout Jefferson County. The survey could be returned at any site or mailed back postage free to the Applied Research and Education Center. It was available in both English and Spanish.

The results were presented to the community during a presentation at Ivy Tech Community College Madison on December 7, 2021. Click here to view the slide show.

The Applied Research and Education Center prepared a written report and four  sector-specific reports to show how ACEs impact different areas. Those sectors are Economy, Education, Health, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health.