Adverse childhood experiences and the lifelong consequences of trauma

Date

2014

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

American Academy of Pediatrics

Abstract

Many people can identify a person in their lives who struggles with a chronic illness like heart disease, diabetes, or hypertension. Most people also know someone who struggles with mental illness, substance abuse, or relationships in general. Traditionally, the health care system would point to high-risk behaviors such as poor diet, drug use, or a sedentary lifestyle as the primary causal factors. Questions for patients have focused on “What’s wrong with you?” rather than “What happened to you?” A 1998 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente is leading to a paradigm shift in the medical community’s approach to disease. This study of more than 17,000 middle-class Americans documented quite clearly that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can contribute significantly to negative adult physical and mental health outcomes and affect more than 60% of adults.1,2 This continues to be reaffirmed with more recent studies.

Description

Keywords

adverse experiences, trauma, long term effects

Citation

American Academy of Pediatrics (2014). Adverse childhood experiences and the lifelong consequences of trauma. Elk Grove Village, IL: AAP.

DOI