Comparison of the adverse childhood experiences of working and non-working adolescents

Objective: The purpose of this study is to compare the adverse childhood experiences of working and non-working adolescents. Methods: This descriptive comparative study was carried out with 213 working and 457 non-working adolescents, who voluntarily participated in the study, aged 15-18. While the same Personal Information Form and International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Child Abuse Screening Tools for Children and Young Adults were used for both working and non-working adolescents, Education and Work History Form was also used for the working adolescents. Descriptive statistics and Pearson Chi-square test were carried out in order to evaluate the obtained data. Results: In the wake of this study, the prevalences of psychological and physical adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) of non-working adolescents, respectively, 77.9%; 63.7%; 47.5% were determined to be higher than the prevalences of working adolescents, respectively, 67.6%; 50.7%: 27.2%. The incidences of psychological and physical ACEs of non-working adolescents, respectively, 70.7%; 49.9%; 41.8%, were determined to be higher than the incidences of working adolescents, respectively, 61.5%; 38.0%; 23.9%. While the rate of broken homes in working adolescents is higher than that of non-working adolescents, the rate of nuclear family in non-working adolescents is higher than that of working adolescents. While the rate of living with "a single-parent" is higher in working adolescents, the rate of living "with the family" is higher in non-working adolescents. It has also been determined that the smoking and "excellent" family income rate is higher on working adolescents than that of non-working adolescents. Conclusion: With this study, it has been determined that non-working adolescents face more ACEs than working adolescents. Consequently, this finding is important in terms of guiding many disciplines with regards to the prevention of ACEs, early diagnosis and treatment. Key words: Working adolescent, family, neglect, abuse, adverse childhood experiences