“My Story Started When I was Younger. . .”: A Qualitative Analysis of Youth’s Differential Journeys Away From School

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase youths’ risk for leaving high school before graduating. However, to our knowledge, no one has examined how youth themselves conceptualize the role of ACEs in their journeys away from school. In this exploratory qualitative study, we used narrative analysis to examine (1) whether youth (n = 27) described ACEs leading them away from school, (2) how early these trajectories began, from youth’s own perspectives, and (3) if this varied by elements of identity and social position. Focus groups were conducted with youth ages 18-25 from 13 communities across the U.S. We found that youth described their journeys away from school as starting with early ACEs. We also found that youths’ narratives reflected intersectional gender differences in the pathways away from school that youth described. Girls articulated how ACEs influenced subsequent non-academic priorities; they eventually left or were kicked out due to a lack of credits. Boys expressed that early ACEs were followed by risk behaviors, punishment, and dropout. Implications for healing-centered engagement across settings and targeted dropout prevention are discussed.