What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences and Why Are They Important?
Have you ever known someone whose past childhood trauma caused them to partake in unhealthy behaviors as an adult? Have you wondered how your own painful experiences influenced your life?
The way we grow up can be unavoidable. We never ask to be born into a broken home or deal with the trauma perpetrated on us as children. And science shows that growing up with certain experiences can have major health implications for the rest of your life.
A researcher named Dr. Vincent Felitti conducted a survey of 17,000 adults and found that certain childhood events can lead to an increased risk for multiple health conditions in adulthood. Felitti called these “Adverse childhood experiences” or ACEs.
Types of ACEs
There are 10 ACEs in total – count how many you have experienced before your 18th birthday:
1. Sexual abuse
2. Physical abuse
3. Emotional abuse
4. Physical neglect
5. Emotional neglect
6. Loss of biological parent (death, divorce, etc.)
7. Mental illness in home
8. Family member incarcerated
9. Witnessing domestic violence between parents
10. Parents abusing drugs and/or alcohol in home
Consequences of ACEs
Got your score? It’s likely to be more than 0 – two out of three adults experienced at least one category of ACEs, and 1 out of 10 experienced 5 or more. These findings blew away seasoned professionals – no one suspected that childhood trauma is this prevalent.
Higher ACE scores can lead to a host of problems. You are twice as likely to suffer from heart disease if you have 3 ACEs. With 4, you are 3 times as likely to experience depression. The life expectancy of people with 6 or more ACEs is 20 years lower than those who have not experienced any ACEs. And for those who have 7 or more, suicide rate goes up 30-fold.
People with multiple ACEs are also significantly more likely to have diabetes, chronic lung disease, stroke, cancer, STDs, substance use issues, and a history a sexual assaults and domestic violence. Women and BIPOC are much more likely to be among the ranks of adults traumatized as children. These findings show us that childhood trauma is the biggest threat to public health out there.
Am I Doomed?
Hearing this might be very discouraging if you have been affected by multiple ACEs. You may be asking yourself if there is any hope out there for people like you – people who have gone through traumatic and unspeakable experiences.
The good news is that by understanding the importance of adverse childhood experiences, we have the power to do something about their effects. We may not have control over how we grew up, but we do have control over where to go from there.
Here are some actions you are encouraged to take if you scored 4 or more on the ACE survey:
Be Vigilant About Physical and Mental Health
Health insurance and regular doctor visits should be a priority. This can be hard to do in the for-profit environment of the American healthcare system. However, there are affordable options like county and non-profit clinics as well as insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act.
Therapy can be even more unaffordable, yet it may be one of the most effective tools to combat the effects of a high ACE score. Not only will therapy help you cope with present issues and triggers, but it can also help you process trauma that brought you here in the first place.
If you are looking for affordable therapy, check out Open Path Collective that offers $30-$60 per hour therapy once you pay a one-time $60 fee for a lifetime membership.
Prioritize Self-Care
Yes, we mean it. Don’t do lip service to caring for yourself. Invest time and energy into it and create a comprehensive self-care plan. It should cover emergency self-care (what to do when everything gets to be way too much) as well as routine self-care covering multiple areas of well-being.
Take a look at this self-care wheel to get an idea of what your plan should cover, then take this test to see how well you are doing in each area. Once you know where you need help, check out some ideas of activities to get you started.
Reduce Harmful Behaviors
Smoking is probably not a good idea when you have a high ACE score. Neither is excessive drinking, drug use, or fast food consumption. Of course, dropping these habits is easier said than done. Above-mentioned therapy can help. So can spending time in nature, exercising, and engaging in creative pursuits or interesting hobbies.
We’re not asking or expecting you to be perfect. We’re simply encouraging you to try. Try to take small steps towards taking your life back from trauma that was so unfairly inflicted upon you.
Organize Your Support Crew
It can be hard to open up to friends about your childhood experiences and you don’t necessarily have to. You can simply tell them that you need extra support sometimes and ask if they could be the person to empathize with and distract you in those moments. You can also send them this article and ask for support without disclosing details.
Remember, two out of three people have at least 1 ACE. Chances are that your friends can relate to you more than you think. They, too, have likely had ACEs and need support the same way you do. The bottom line is that it is really important for you to have at least one person who can provide unconditional understanding and a friendly place for you to vent.
If you find it hard to find someone like that, consider looking at support groups in your area. They can be free or much cheaper than individual therapy, and they are a lot less intimidating than you may think!
Posttraumatic Growth
It is possible to heal and transcend trauma to the point that you grow more than you would have without it. This is called posttraumatic growth, and not everyone experiences it. It takes work, perseverance, and willingness to step outside of your comfort zone to reach a point where trauma no longer defines you.
However, if – or when – you get there, the view is worth the climb. Your perception of life will never be the same because of trauma, but you learn to turn it to your advantage. You understand so much more than a person who has not done the work. You live lighter, love deeper, and grow taller with each day.
Yes, it would have been better to grow up without any ACEs. Yes, it would have been nicer to have a stable and loving home environment. But if you weren’t so lucky, there is no reason to give up. You still hold a lot of control over what happens to you.
Prevention of ACEs
You may know a child in your life who is going through ACEs right now. You may be able to make a difference by helping them ask for help or providing a safe environment. If you see sings of abuse and neglect, please report them to your state or local child protective services. Contrary to popular belief, they are not “child snatchers” and will instead offer a lot of education and support for parents before a child is ever removed from the home.
You can also provide inspiration and support for a child even if their situation is not reportable. Let this child know about the skills they possess that can draw them to new heights. Helping them believe in themselves will allow them to distance themselves from their less-than-ideal upbringing. Instead of allowing a child to let their circumstances define who they are, let them know they are more than capable of making their own decisions as independent people.
Another way to inspire a child is to teach them right from wrong to avoid them making reckless decisions. Using drugs and alcohol for “quick fixes” will only provide more challenges in their lives. You can model healthy behavior and endorse the idea of volunteering in the community to provide goodness to someone who has been in their shoes before.
Be the person you needed when you were going through your own ACEs to someone else. Sometimes that’s the best way to heal from trauma.
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If you have a high ACE score, therapy can help you move towards posttraumatic growth. Feel free to contact us today for a free consultation about trauma therapy.
