ACE’s RESOURCE INFORMATION
All over the nation, people are talking about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) because they represent the largest public health discovery of our time.
What are adverse Childhood experiences (Aces)?
Childhood trauma and adversity, such as ACEs, including abuse, neglect, and witnessing violence in the home or community, can lead to toxic stress, prolonged or excessive activation of the stress response system.
What are the consequences of Aces?
Researchers have identified how high-stress levels and trauma can change a child’s brain chemistry, brain architecture, and even gene expression. While nearly everyone experiences stress at some point, chronic stress sustained over time can damage the body and the brain, especially for children, because early childhood is critical for development.
Toxic stress interferes with developing healthy neural, immune, and hormonal systems and can alter our DNA expression. Over time, multiple ACEs—especially without adequate adult support—can affect the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems and have lasting effects on attention, behavior, decision-making, and response to stress throughout a lifetime.
There are decades of research linking ACEs to an increased risk of developing chronic diseases and behavioral challenges, including obesity, autoimmune disease, diabetes, heart disease, poor mental health, alcoholism, and even reduced life expectancy by as much as 20 years.
Multiple ACEs also put individuals at a greater risk for adverse outcomes, including poor school performance, unemployment, and the development of high-risk health behaviors, such as smoking and drug use. New research has also uncovered a correlation between ACEs and an increased risk for prescription opioid misuse.
Toxic stress interferes with developing healthy neural, immune, and hormonal systems and can alter our DNA expression. Over time, multiple ACEs—especially without adequate adult support—can affect the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems and have lasting effects on attention, behavior, decision-making, and response to stress throughout a lifetime.
There are decades of research linking ACEs to an increased risk of developing chronic diseases and behavioral challenges, including obesity, autoimmune disease, diabetes, heart disease, poor mental health, alcoholism, and even reduced life expectancy by as much as 20 years.
Multiple ACEs also put individuals at a greater risk for adverse outcomes, including poor school performance, unemployment, and the development of high-risk health behaviors, such as smoking and drug use. New research has also uncovered a correlation between ACEs and an increased risk for prescription opioid misuse.
Preventing the Adult Health Consequences of ACEs
While the connection between ACEs and adult chronic health conditions has been well-documented, a 2019 report focuses on implementing comprehensive public health approaches to prevent ACEs.
President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse American (PCA America), Dr. Melissa Merrick, who led the ACEs team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for nearly ten years, is the lead author of a 2019 report, which finds that working with available data and resources and leveraging evidence-based information about ACEs to understand, prevent, and mitigate negative outcomes.
President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse American (PCA America), Dr. Melissa Merrick, who led the ACEs team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for nearly ten years, is the lead author of a 2019 report, which finds that working with available data and resources and leveraging evidence-based information about ACEs to understand, prevent, and mitigate negative outcomes.
Countering aces
A recent study found that positive experiences in childhood buffered the effects of ACEs. Even in the context of significant adversity, those who reported high levels of positive experiences in childhood reported fewer mental health challenges in adulthood.
Researchers are still working to understand how children develop resilience. However, there is agreement among professionals that various important individual, family, and community conditions can support resilience, such as:
There are so many ways you can help. Get involved with your state chapter, make a donation (and don’t forget to ask your employer if they will match your gift), or participate in a fundraiser; your donation will help prevent child abuse and neglect. Even simply sharing the message with friends, family, and associates can help.
Researchers are still working to understand how children develop resilience. However, there is agreement among professionals that various important individual, family, and community conditions can support resilience, such as:
- Close and stable relationships with competent caregivers or other caring adults
- Parents or adults who model resilience
- Identifying and cultivating a sense of purpose (faith, culture, identity)
- Individual developmental competencies (problem-solving skills, self–regulation, agency)
- Social connections
- Socioeconomic advantages and concrete support for parents and families
- Communities and social systems that support health and development and nurture human capital
There are so many ways you can help. Get involved with your state chapter, make a donation (and don’t forget to ask your employer if they will match your gift), or participate in a fundraiser; your donation will help prevent child abuse and neglect. Even simply sharing the message with friends, family, and associates can help.
Resources:
National Resources:
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention - Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have a tremendous impact on future violence victimization and perpetration, and lifelong health and opportunity. CDC works to understand ACEs and prevent them.
- PACES Connection - Supporting communities to accelerate the use of PACEs science…to solve our most intractable problems.
- Positive Experience - HOPE, grounded in science that demonstrates the formative role of positive experiences in human development, seeks to inspire a HOPE-informed movement that fundamentally transforms how we advance health and well-being for our children, families, and communities.
- Aces Interface - ACE Interface is a Limited Liability Corporation that provides products and services to people like you, who are committed to do everything necessary to accelerate the intergenerational changes that will improve health and quality of life.
- Trauma Informed Oregon
- Sustainable Rogue Valley - ACEs and the Self-Healing Communities Initiative in Southern Oregon.
- United Way of Central Oregon - For everyone interested in trauma and resilience. Learn about the TRACE's movement.
- Oregon Alliance - The Building Community Resilience (BCR) Collaborative seeks to improve the health of children, families, and communities by fostering engagement between grassroots community services and public and private systems to develop a protective buffer against Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) occurring in Adverse Community Environments (ACEs) – the “Pair of ACEs."
- Advanced Health - Bridging the future of health care in Coos and Curry County. Training scheduling offered.
As with any great public health discovery the most important actions in the first decades are:
- Tell Everyone! Share the findings effectively and with fidelity
- Change ourselves and promote changes within our spheres of influence
