Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

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Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Halmos College of Arts and Sciences - Department of Conflict Resolution Studies

First Advisor

Ismael Muvingi

Second Advisor

Elena Bastidas

Third Advisor

Urszula Strawinska-Zanko

Keywords

adverse childhood experiences, adverse community environments, analytic framework, Bronfenbrenner, co-occurrence, collective efficacy, correlational research design, generational adverse childhood experiences, Giddens, health outcomes, incidence, medical epidemiology, population density, quantitative study, risk factors, social capital, social ecology theories, social outcomes, structural equation modeling, structuration, syndemic theory, syndemics, US Centers for Disease Control

Abstract

Many studies identifying correlates, determinants, and sequelae of adverse childhoodexperiences (ACE) have been undertaken since the seminal research by the Kaiser Foundation and the US Centers for Disease Control. Gaps exist, however, in our understanding of how some of these correlates interact to exacerbate the incidence of ACE. Social ecology theories, such as those of Bronfenbrenner and Giddens, provide contextual explanations of how the environment may contribute to or provide a buffer for ACE. Syndemic theory, used in medical epidemiology, offers a never-used approach to examining the interaction of multiple determinants of ACE. This quantitative study uses several administrative data sources in a correlational research design to explore the combined effects of the co-occurrence of adverse community environments and generational ACE on selected health and social outcomes. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is the analytic method used in the study. The study addresses two research questions: 1) does cooccurrence change the trajectory of outcomes, and 2) is the co-occurring effect mediated by population density? The study results have the potential for identifying high-risk adverse environments to which added focus and resources should be applied. The study may also add a new analytic framework, syndemics, to which future studies can be applied.

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