Review of Tools for Measuring Exposure to Adversity in Children and Adolescents

Background: Exposure to childhood adversity can result in negative behavioral and physical health outcomes due to potential long-term embedding into regulatory biological processes. Screening for exposure to adversity is a critical first step in identifying children at risk for developing a toxic stress response. Primary care pediatric practitioners are uniquely positioned to screen for exposure to adversity in their child and adolescent patients, but screening requires tools that can effectively identify patients at risk within the logistical constraints of a clinic visit. A literature review was conducted to (a) …