Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) has attracted increasing attention due to its profound impact. Currently, the concept of ACEs remains largely dominated by the findings of Felitti et al. (1998), which is grounded in a Western theoretical framework and normative experiences. There is still a limited understanding of ACEs from Eastern cultural perspectives.
Purpose: This study aims to advance knowledge of ACEs by studying how parents from Chinese cultural contexts perceive and interpret their own adverse childhood experiences; thus, shedding light on the process of intergenerational transmission of ACEs in parenting practices.
Method: In-depth semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with 31 parents (aged 32 to 53 years) of children in primary schools in China. Narrative research combined with thematic analysis was employed to construct individual experiences and conduct cross-case comparisons.
Results: Ten major themes emerged, including negative parenting, poverty, exposure to hazards or diseases, inharmonious family environment, educational challenges, bullying, premature romantic relationships, separation from parents, involvement in violence and child labour experiences. Narrative analysis of typical cases detailed how Chinese parents perceive ACEs, and how they view their childhood adversities as well as their impacts, particularly the linkage to current parenting practice.
Conclusion: Given growing up in a specific historical context and stage of social development, Chinese parents have different adverse experiences and hold unique perceptions of these experiences. Eastern traditional values and social norms further influence how Chinese parents interpret and assign meaning to their personal childhood experiences. This study enriches the conceptual framework of ACEs by incorporating insights from an Eastern perspective and qualitatively illustrates the influence of parental ACEs on their parenting. Findings provide a reference for practitioners working in parenting counselling and skills training.