mental health
Definition
Mental health refers to a domain of wellbeing that can be substantially affected by adverse experiences occurring during childhood and adolescence. Within the framework of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), living with a household member who suffers from mental health issues is classified as a form of household dysfunction, placing it alongside parental imprisonment and substance abuse as an environmental adversity children may be exposed to before the age of eighteen. Such household-level adversities are associated with downstream effects on emotional regulation, stress response, and cognitive development. ACEs of this kind are disproportionately reported among populations who supported or engaged in violent extremism, with VE individuals showing higher ACE prevalence than the general population.
Sources: Pammi et al. (2026)
Related Terms
- violent extremism (1 shared article)
- radicalization (1 shared article)
- adverse childhood experiences (1 shared article)
- trauma (1 shared article)
Applications
Mental Health and Adverse Childhood Experiences
Adverse childhood experiences explicitly include living with household members who suffered from mental health issues as one of the qualifying traumatic events occurring before age eighteen. This classification situates mental health problems within the family environment as a form of household dysfunction that children may witness, rather than experience directly. Across the 23 studies synthesized in the scoping review, household dysfunction emerged as the most commonly reported ACE domain among individuals connected to violent extremist groups.
Sources: Pammi et al. (2026)
Mental Health and Violent Extremism
Exposure to household-level mental health adversity in childhood falls within the broader ACE framework used to examine pathways toward violent extremism. The scoping review found that VE individuals reported higher ACE prevalence than the general population, though ACE rates were not consistently higher than those observed in comparison groups such as violent offenders. ACEs, including exposure to household mental health dysfunction, can lead to a range of outcomes rather than a single behavioral trajectory.
Sources: Pammi et al. (2026)
