Some Statistics
*Did you know that an ACE score evaluates ten specific types of childhood trauma, such as #physical abuse, #verbal abuse, #sexual abuse, #physical neglect, and #emotional neglect?
*Based on the score, patients can be categorized as "intermediate risk" or "high risk" for #toxic stress, with scores of 1-3 and 4 or higher, respectively.
*Shockingly, 50% of children in the United States have experienced ACEs by the age of 3. If left untreated, high ACE scores can lead to a decrease in life expectancy by up to 20 years.
Some findings of the ACE Study
*The ACE study found a direct link between childhood trauma and adult onset of chronic disease, incarceration, and employment challenges. The higher the number of ACEs, the greater the incidence of negative outcomes.
*An individual who had experienced adverse childhood experiences may be more inclined to feel betrayed in relationships, keep secrets, feel invalidated, and lack a sense of safety which is more likely to result in social isolation.
*Cardiovascular disease. Research has shown a strong association between exposure to ACEs and cardiometabolic outcomes, including heart disease, hypertension, and obesity.
*Toxic stress from ACEs can negatively affect children's brain development, immune systems, and stress-response systems. These changes can affect children's attention, decision-making, and learning. Children growing up with toxic stress may have difficulty forming healthy and stable relationships.
There is HOPE
ACEs can last a lifetime but they don't have to. We can reboot our brains. Even if we have been set on high reactive mode for decades or a lifetime, we can still dial it down.
We can respond to life's inevitable stressors more appropriately and shift away from an overactive inflammatory response.
Why do I feel compelled to talk about this?
Parents often don't realize how much those first few years shape their children's lives forever. Adult children often seek answers on why their lives turned out the way they did.
When the ACE quiz is incorporated with treatment it can result in better outcomes.
Changes only happen when there is awareness of the problem.
The above info came from a variety of websites and studies. See below.
https://youtu.be/chhQc0HShCo
If interested, below is the adult version of the ACE quiz.
Adverse Childhood Experience Questionnaire for Adults
1. Did you feel that you didn’t have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, or had no one to protect or take care of you?
2. Did you lose a parent through divorce, abandonment, death, or other reason?
3. Did you live with anyone who was depressed, mentally ill, or attempted suicide?
4. Did you live with anyone who had a problem with drinking or using drugs, including prescription drugs?
5. Did your parents or adults in your home ever hit, punch, beat, or threaten to harm each other?
6. Did you live with anyone who went to jail or prison?
7. Did a parent or adult in your home ever swear at you, insult you, or put you down?
8. Did a parent or adult in your home ever hit, beat, kick, or physically hurt you in any way?
9. Did you feel that no one in your family loved you or thought you were special?
10. Did you experience unwanted sexual contact (such as fondling or oral/anal/vaginal intercourse/penetration)?
Your ACE score is the total number of checked responses.
Thank you for sharing this with anyone who might be interested.