Childhood experiences (ACE)
Difficult experiences during childhood. Answer the app’s questionnaire and see your result right away.
Source · Felitti VJ, Anda RF, Nordenberg D, et al. Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. Am J Prev Med. 1998;14(4):245–258. CareOps English translation of its existing Korean questionnaire. Wording, response choices and descriptive score ranges follow the CareOps version and have not been independently validated in English. A count of reported childhood adversities is not a diagnosis or a prediction of any individual's future. CareOps retains its existing inclusive caregiver wording.
Look at childhood experiences at your own pace
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) questionnaire is the 10-item measure used in the ACE Study published by Felitti, Anda and colleagues in 1998. Each item covers one experience: emotional, physical or sexual abuse, emotional or physical neglect, parents separating or divorcing, violence toward a caregiver, a household member’s alcohol or drug problems, a household member’s mental health difficulties and a household member being incarcerated. You think about your life from birth until your 18th birthday and answer only yes or no, without describing anything. This page uses an English translation of the CareOps Korean version.
Reading your results
The score is the number of experiences you answered yes to (0–10). The result screen shows 0 as none reported, 1–3 as some reported and 4 or more as several reported. The boundary of four comes from the original study’s look at how several experiences together relate to adult health across many people; it is not a prediction of any individual’s future. The questionnaire does not ask how hard things were, who stood by you or what has helped you since. If memories of that time keep returning and make daily life hard, you can begin talking with a professional at your own pace, without having to go into details.
| Score | Result range |
|---|---|
| 0 | None reported |
| 1–3 | Some reported |
| 4–10 | Several reported |
A question to reflect on
If answering stirred things up, first take a short moment to come back to the present: notice your feet on the floor and slowly name three things you can see. Later, when you have room for it, write down one person, place or habit that helped you get through hard times.
Frequently asked questions
- How many questions are in Childhood experiences (ACE), and how long does it take?
- There are 10 questions, and it usually takes about 2 minutes. For each question you choose one of 2 answers, from “No” to “Yes”. There are no right or wrong answers.
- What if answering becomes difficult?
- You can stop at any time. The questionnaire doesn’t need to be finished to be meaningful, and looking after how you feel now matters more. You can come back whenever you want.
- Does a high score mean I will become ill?
- No. ACE scores come from research on patterns across many people and do not predict one person’s future. Relationships, support and care you have now can make a real difference.
- How do I answer if I’m not sure what happened?
- Answer with what comes to mind now. You don’t need to search your memory hard or recall details.
- What does my Childhood experiences (ACE) score mean?
- On this Childhood experiences (ACE) check, the result screen reads 0 none reported, 1–3 some reported, 4–10 several reported. A score is a starting point for reflection and conversation, not a diagnosis.
- Do I need to sign in? Are my answers saved?
- You can see your results right away without signing in. Your answers are used only for scoring and are not stored on our servers.
- Can I bring these results into a counseling session?
- Use the analysis button at the bottom of the result screen to have a short conversation with Maeumi without signing in. After the conversation, you can continue in the app. The web conversation does not transfer automatically to the app.
- Can I send this check to a friend?
- Use Share test at the top of the screen to share the questionnaire link. This link does not contain your answers, result, name or account.