CASCAID (Complex ACEs, Complex Aid) Research Group

Addressing the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

University of Michigan School of Nursing CASCAID logoThe CASCAID Research Group (Complex ACEs, Complex Aid) is a dedicated team at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, committed to studying and addressing the harmful effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on health and development. Our research focuses on creating and evaluating complex interventions—what we call "complex aid"—to mitigate the impact of trauma, reduce toxic stress, and improve well-being across the lifespan.

ACEs are experiences of childhood trauma that can lead to long-lasting effects on mental, emotional, and physical health. At CASCAID, we aim to understand these experiences in-depth and provide comprehensive, trauma-informed solutions to support individuals affected by ACEs.

Access the TIC Grade Tool:

Evaluate the trauma-informed care your clients/patients receive using the TIC Grade tool.

Access TIC Grade Tool

Who We Are

Co-Leaders

Members

Aims

  • Lay the groundwork for participatory research with individuals who have high ACEs.
  • Shift the focus from “high-risk” to “high-ACE” youth, emphasizing the importance of ACEs as a critical factor in development.
  • Engage with youth, professionals, and cutting-edge research to reduce trauma’s impact on the body and mind.

Goals

  • Promote trauma-informed care within nursing practices and broader healthcare systems.
  • Influence research on traumatic stress, focusing on promoting health and self-regulated well-being, rather than solely on the negative effects of trauma.

Current Initiatives 

Trauma-informed curriculum

Working with students, faculty, and a Student Advisory Board at the University of Michigan School of Nursing to develop and integrate a trauma-informed curriculum. This project, funded by CRLT, is now a permanent part of the UMSN curriculum.

Offering an Inter-Professional Mini Certificate for graduate and undergraduate students in Nursing, Social Work, and Education, focusing on trauma-informed practice with children and adolescents.

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Measuring trauma-informed care      

Developing the Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) Grade tool to assess if the care patients receive is trauma-informed. This tool allows healthcare providers to better understand and improve their trauma-informed practices.

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Community-engaged interventions

Designing a trauma-informed care program for musicians, with an evaluation framework for a music intervention targeting youth affected by trauma.

Partnering with the Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS) in Detroit to integrate trauma-informed practices into their services, including implementing the Chicago Parent Program.

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Trauma-informed trainings

Providing Level I and Level II Trauma-Informed Care Trainings to local community organizations. These trainings are designed to improve awareness and practices around trauma and ACEs.

  • Organizational strategies to become trauma-informed and meet the needs of trauma-exposed individuals.
  • Collaborating with the Center for Next Century Nursing (CNCN) to develop a trauma-informed nursing workforce, offering specialized training and continuing education opportunities for UMSN faculty, students, and Michigan Medicine staff.

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Recent Publications

  • Munro-Kramer, M. L., Beck, D. C., Ball, M., & Pardee, M. (2024). Finding the beat: A partnership to address the relationship between a music program and health among youth who have experienced trauma. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001776
  • Sinko, L., Beck, D., & Seng, J. (2020). Developing the TIC Grade: A Youth Self-Report Measure of Perceptions of Trauma-Informed Care. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 1078390320970652.
  • Boucher, N., Darling-Fisher, C. S., Sinko, L., Beck, D., Granner, J., & Seng, J. (2020). Psychometric evaluation of the TIC Grade, a self-report measure to assess youth perceptions of the quality of trauma-informed care they received. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 1078390320953896.
  • Kuzma, E. K., Morgan, A., & Pardee, M. (under review). Trauma informed care for the perinatal and neonatal nurse. Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing.
  • Cannon, L. M., Coolidge, E., LeGierse, J., Moskowitz, Y., Buckley, C., Chapin, C., Warren, M., & Kuzma, E. K. (2020). Trauma-informed education: Creating and pilot testing a nursing curriculum on trauma-informed care. Nursing Outlook, 85, 104256. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2019.104256