Why ACEs Matter
When Cope’s community of neighbors and sponsors comes together to support parents and prevent child abuse, we usually think about the children we’re helping now. We all want the kids we see around us to have happy, safe childhoods, and grow up in families that make them feel loved and cared for.
As we help, we’re probably not thinking that, in twenty or thirty years, those kids will grow up to have healthier hearts. And yet, the science of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) tells us that a happier childhood makes for a healthier adult.
When the original CDC-Kaiser Permanente ACEs study was published in the 1990’s, the idea that there is a connection between childhood experiences and adult health outcomes was revolutionary. Most people probably don’t find it surprising that a kid who regularly has to deal with fear or even injury could grow up to struggle with depression or relationship issues. What the CDC-KP study showed is that negative childhood experiences in three categories--abuse, neglect, and household challenges—made physical health problems AND mental health problems likely. Heart disease, diabetes, cancer, serious autoimmune diseases, and HIV have a dose-response relationship to ACEs; in other words, more ACEs mean a higher risk.
Credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
After more than two decades of research, the connection between ACEs and many kinds of health problems is well-established. We are still learning about how the connection works, but what is clear is that the stress that comes from abuse and other traumas is incredibly hard on a young child’s developing brain, and can actually change how the brain grows and how it responds to future stress. Kids who live with toxic stress can end up with a version of PTSD, so that as adults their systems are on high alert much of the time and may jump to a fight-or-flight response, full of adrenaline and cortisol, for even minor daily problems. Among other factors, this setup seems to be one of the key dangers with carrying a lot of ACEs, since it makes for a body in a type of chronic inflammation – inflammation that may weaken or damage cells, and lead to illness.
Of course, mental health is hugely important, too. ACEs also create higher risks for depression, anxiety, suicide, and alcohol and drug abuse. Early ACEs can affect how an adult understands situations and makes choices, which may have a negative impact on education opportunities, employment, and income.
If looking at the science of ACEs seems overwhelming and unhopeful, please know that it actually shows how much difference YOU make as part of the Cope community! All the education and resources that parents get at Cope helps to prevent and heal ACEs, and avoid those negative outcomes. So when you help a Napa kiddo have a happier childhood, it has an enormous potential for future impact: a healthy grownup who can be a big part of raising the NEXT generation of happy Napa kids.
Here are a few more resource links to learn more about ACEs and their effects on children:
What are ACEs? :A closer look at the science of ACEs from Joining Forces For Children
ACEs and Toxic Stress: Frequently Asked Questions : Understanding the relationship between ACEs and Toxic Stress from Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child
Resources from the CDC about ACEs: Detailed facts information about how ACEs impact children, current studies and prevention strategies.
Take the ACE Quiz – And Learn What it Does and Doesn’t Mean to find out what your ACE score is from NPR