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ace questionnaire

Ten questions about childhood, answered privately in your browser. Nothing is stored or sent anywhere.

Kindergarten children seated around a table of building blocks, Toledo, Ohio, 1909

The questionnaire

These questions ask about abuse, neglect and difficult home lives. You can stop at any time.

Private. Your answers stay on this page. Nothing is saved, sent or counted, and closing the page erases them.
For adults. It is written for people looking back at their own childhood. Please do not ask a child to take it.
Not a diagnosis. The score describes risk across large groups. It cannot say what will happen to you.

If you are in crisis or in danger now, skip the questions and go to the support lines.

This questionnaire needs JavaScript. Without it, read the ten questions below and count your "yes" answers.

Did a parent or other adult in the household often or very often... swear at you, insult you, put you down, or humiliate you? or act in a way that made you afraid that you might be physically hurt?
Did a parent or other adult in the household often or very often... push, grab, slap, or throw something at you? or ever hit you so hard that you had marks or were injured?
Did an adult or person at least 5 years older than you ever... touch or fondle you or have you touch their body in a sexual way? or try to, or actually, have oral, anal, or vaginal sex with you?
Did you often or very often feel that... no one in your family loved you or thought you were important or special? or your family did not look out for each other, feel close to each other, or support each other?
Did you often or very often feel that... you did not have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, and had no one to protect you? or your parents were too drunk or high to take care of you or take you to the doctor if you needed it?
Were your parents ever separated or divorced?
Was your mother or stepmother... often pushed, grabbed, slapped, or had something thrown at her? or sometimes, often, or very often kicked, bitten, hit with a fist, or hit with something hard? or ever repeatedly hit over at least a few minutes or threatened with a gun or knife?
Did you live with anyone who was a problem drinker or alcoholic, or who used street drugs?
Was a household member depressed or mentally ill, or did a household member attempt suicide?
Did a household member go to prison?

you are not alone

If you are in immediate danger, call 999 (UK) or 911 (US). In England, NHS 111 can help with urgent mental health needs. Lines are free and confidential. Opening hours and numbers can change, so check the organisation's own site.

United Kingdom

SamaritansSomeone to talk to, any time, free.Call 116 123
NSPCC helplineAdvice for adults worried about a child.Call 0808 800 5000
ChildlineFree, confidential help for anyone under 19.Call 0800 1111
NAPACSupport for adults who were abused in childhood.Call 0808 801 0331
ShoutFree text support, any time.Text SHOUT to 85258
MindInformation and local services for mental health.mind.org.uk

United States

988 Suicide and Crisis LifelineFree, confidential support, any time.Call or text 988
Childhelp National Child Abuse HotlineCrisis counselling and advice about abuse.Call 1-800-422-4453
RAINNSupport after sexual violence.Call 1-800-656-4673
Crisis Text LineFree text support, any time.Text HOME to 741741
National Domestic Violence HotlineSupport for anyone affected by abuse at home.Call 1-800-799-7233
SAMHSA National HelplineFree referrals for mental health and substance use.Call 1-800-662-4357

Where the questions come from The ten questions come from the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, carried out in the 1990s by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente, a health plan in California. Researchers asked thousands of adults about their childhoods and compared the answers with their health records. Felitti and colleagues reported in 1998 that the more categories of adversity a person reported, the more likely they were, on average, to have a range of health problems in adulthood, including heart disease, depression and substance misuse.

What a score means The score is the number of the ten categories you answer "yes" to, from 0 to 10. - It describes groups, not individuals. Many people with high scores are well, and some people with low scores struggle. The score cannot predict what will happen to you or to a child. - It is not a diagnosis. It was designed for research and public health, not to assess one person. - It leaves things out. The ten questions do not ask about bullying, discrimination, poverty, community violence, the death of a parent, or the many other things that can hurt a child. A score of 0 does not mean a childhood was easy. - It does not measure how bad it felt. The same event affects people very differently.

What protects children Adversity is only part of the picture. The Harvard Center on the Developing Child explains that prolonged stress without a buffering adult relationship (toxic stress) can affect development, but that stable, caring relationships with at least one adult help children cope and recover. A study of adults in the US state of Wisconsin (Bethell and colleagues, 2019) found that positive childhood experiences, such as feeling safe with a family member, having supportive friends and feeling a sense of belonging at school, were associated with better adult mental health, whatever the number of adverse experiences. Support can help at any age.

If you are a parent or teacher - You do not need a score to help a child. Be a steady, caring adult; listen; keep routines predictable. See helping the child who finds school difficult and school climate. - Do not ask a child to take this questionnaire. It is written for adults to reflect on their own childhoods. - If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, contact the child protection services in your area or one of the helplines on this page. In the UK, call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000; in the US, call the Childhelp hotline on 1-800-422-4453. In an emergency call 999 (UK) or 911 (US). - Learn about Conscious Discipline, emotional intelligence and mindfulness as ways to support children, while remembering they are not a replacement for professional help.

If this brought something up It is common for these questions to stir up feelings. That is a normal reaction, not a sign that something is wrong with you. Take a break, do something grounding, and talk to someone you trust. The support lines above the questions are free and confidential.

Sources and further reading