Felitti, V. J.2013-10-162013-10-162013Felitti, V. J. (2013). Childhood trauma linked to chronic diseases in adulthood: Implications on the medical and economic burden of human trafficking. Public Health & Social Justice, 2(1).http://hdl.handle.net/11212/1221http://media.wix.com/ugd/8e648a_99e5067a67f4a83bac0df4ce553a3f1f.pdfEmotional, mental, and physical trauma during childhood are correlated with higher risk for many diseases that occur during adulthood, including coronary heart disease, depression, autoimmune disease, and drug addiction. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, a long-term study spanning over a decade representing middle-class urban America, revealed invaluable data linking child abuse to the risk of chronic diseases. Children and adolescents who are victims of sex or labor trafficking experience the same types of trauma, but to a greater extent and are thus at elevated risk for chronic diseases later in life. They are a group to which the ACE Study directly applies and represent a population that will continue to add to the economic burden of chronic diseases on society, if the proper public health attention is not given to this widespread problem.enhuman traffickingadverse affectslong term effectsmedicaleconomicArticle