Appendix 1—table 1. List of the 30 ACE-IQ items used to derive the 13 different ACEs and their response options.
| ACE item | Scoring* |
|---|---|
| Neglect | |
| Emotional neglect | |
| Did your parents/guardians understand your problems and worries? | Always = 0, Most of the time = 1, Sometimes = 2, Rarely = 3, Never = 4 |
| Did your parents/guardians really know what you were doing with your free time when you were not at school or work? | Always = 0, Most of the time = 1, Sometimes = 2, Rarely = 3, Never = 4 |
| Physical neglect | |
| How often did your parents/guardians not give you enough food even when they could easily have done so? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Were your parents/guardians too drunk or intoxicated by drugs to take care of you? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| How often did your parents/guardians not send you to school even when it was available? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Abuse | |
| Emotional abuse | |
| Did a parent, guardian or other household member yell, scream or swear at you, insult or humiliate you? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Did a parent, guardian or other household member threaten to, or actually, abandon you or throw you out of the house? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Physical abuse | |
| Did a parent, guardian or other household member spank, slap, kick, punch or beat you up? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Did a parent, guardian or other household member hit or cut you with an object, such as a stick (or cane), bottle, club, knife, whip etc? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Sexual abuse | |
| Did someone touch or fondle you in a sexual way when you did not want them to? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Did someone make you touch their body in a sexual way when you did not want them to? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Did someone attempt oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse with you when you did not want them to? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Did someone actually have oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse with you when you did not want them to? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Household dysfunction | |
| Domestic violence | |
| Did you see or hear a parent or household member in your home being yelled at, screamed at, sworn at, insulted or humiliated? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Did you see or hear a parent or household member in your home being slapped, kicked, punched or beaten up? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Did you see or hear a parent or household member in your home being hit or cut with an object, such as a stick (or cane), bottle, club, knife, whip etc.? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Lost a parent / separation of parents | |
| Were your parents ever separated or divorced? | No = 0, Yes = 1 |
| Did your mother, father or guardian die? | No = 0, Yes = 1 |
| Mental illness in household | |
| Did you live with a household member who was depressed, mentally ill or suicidal? | No = 0, Yes = 1 |
| Household substance abuse | |
| Did you live with a household member who was a problem drinker or alcoholic, or misused street or prescription drugs? | No = 0, Yes = 1 |
| Incarcerated household member | |
| Did you live with a household member who was ever sent to jail or prison? | No = 0, Yes = 1 |
| Other violence | |
| Community violence | |
| Did you see or hear someone being beaten up in real life? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Did you see or hear someone being stabbed or shot in real life? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Did you see or hear someone being threatened with a knife or gun in real life? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Collective violence | |
| During the first 18 years of your life, were you exposed to war/collective violence (e.g. from gangs or police)?† | No = 0, Yes = 1 |
| Were you forced to go and live in another place due to any of these events? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Did you experience the deliberate destruction of your home due to any of these events? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Were you beaten up by soldiers, police, militia, or gangs? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Was a family member or friend killed or beaten up by soldiers, police, militia, or gangs? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
| Bullying | |
| How often were you bullied? | Never = 0, Once = 1, A few times = 2, Many times = 3 |
*
all items also had the option „can‘t/don‘t want to answer“.
†
this is a screening question, only participants that responded yes got the following four questions.