The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Academic Performance and Mental Health

 Karina Navarro Romero, Verrazzano Class of 2026, completed a major in Nursing

My research area was shaped by my exposure to a psychiatric nursing class and my clinical rotations in the adolescent’s unit at Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC). During this time, my clinical professor introduced the concept of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and explained how early trauma can affect children and adolescents as they grow. Seeing patients in the adolescent unit interested me and made the topic feel very real, which motivated me to explore it further and understand how early life experiences influence both mental health and academic success.

Initially, I expected the capstone to be very difficult and overwhelming, especially in terms of writing and organizing the content of my capstone. However, it ended up being more manageable than I thought. With the guidance and support of my mentor, Dr. Contreras, I was able to stay on track and complete it step by step, which made the process feel less intimidating.

One of the biggest challenges that I faced was finding the time to work on my capstone while balancing night shifts as a nurse and other responsibilities. Staying consistent with writing was difficult at times, especially when I had back-to-back assignment deadlines from other classes and was tired from work. Another challenge was narrowing down such a broad topic into a more specific population group. However, once I had a clear idea of what I was going to write, finding and integrating sources from the research became easier.

What surprised me most was how strong and consistent the connection is between ACEs and long-term outcomes, including mental health struggles and academic difficulties. I was also surprised by how protective factors, such as strong family support, school involvement, and early interventions, can reduce these negative effects.

If I were to expand this research, I would focus more on specific interventions within schools and healthcare settings, such as trauma-informed care practices and early ACE screening tools. I would also be interested in exploring other long-term outcomes to better understand how early support can influence a person’s life over time.

Overall, this experience helped me develop stronger research, writing, and time management skills. In addition, having a greater awareness of the importance of early identification, empathy, and support, especially in healthcare and educational settings, and early intervention can make a meaningful difference in someone’s life.