Adverse Childhood Experiences Study
The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study may be the largest, most important public health study conducted.
Felitti et al., (1998) discovered a direct link between childhood trauma and the chronic diseases people develop as adults, as well as social and emotional problems. These include heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes and many autoimmune diseases, as well as depression, violence, being a victim of violence, and suicide.
The 17,000 adult participants underwent a physical examination and completed the ACE Questionnaire. The study found that nearly 40% of participants had been exposed to two or more of the 10 different categories, and 12.5% reported exposure to at least four out of 10 categories. People with an ACE score of 4 are twice as likely to be smokers and seven times more likely to be alcoholic. Having an ACE score of 4 increases the risk of emphysema or chronic bronchitis by nearly 400 percent, and attempted suicide by 1200 percent. People with high ACE scores are more likely to be violent, to have more marriages, more broken bones, more drug prescriptions, more depression, and more autoimmune diseases. People with an ACE score of 6 or higher are at risk of their lifespan being shortened by 20 years.
These are conservative figures as participants were mostly white, middle to upper class and educated.
In addition, The ACE Study included only 10 childhood traumas because those were mentioned as most common by participants. There are, of course, many other types of childhood trauma — racism, bullying, watching a sibling being abused, losing a caregiver (grandmother, mother, grandfather, etc.), homelessness, surviving and recovering from a severe accident, witnessing a father being abused by a mother, witnessing a grandmother abusing a father, involvement with the foster care system, involvement with the juvenile justice system, etc.
If you're interested, find out your ACE score (out of 10) below in considering how important it is for you to begin healing from early traumas.
Also find out your BCE score below to identify positive childhood experiences that have added to your resilience.
Felitti et al., (1998) discovered a direct link between childhood trauma and the chronic diseases people develop as adults, as well as social and emotional problems. These include heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes and many autoimmune diseases, as well as depression, violence, being a victim of violence, and suicide.
The 17,000 adult participants underwent a physical examination and completed the ACE Questionnaire. The study found that nearly 40% of participants had been exposed to two or more of the 10 different categories, and 12.5% reported exposure to at least four out of 10 categories. People with an ACE score of 4 are twice as likely to be smokers and seven times more likely to be alcoholic. Having an ACE score of 4 increases the risk of emphysema or chronic bronchitis by nearly 400 percent, and attempted suicide by 1200 percent. People with high ACE scores are more likely to be violent, to have more marriages, more broken bones, more drug prescriptions, more depression, and more autoimmune diseases. People with an ACE score of 6 or higher are at risk of their lifespan being shortened by 20 years.
These are conservative figures as participants were mostly white, middle to upper class and educated.
In addition, The ACE Study included only 10 childhood traumas because those were mentioned as most common by participants. There are, of course, many other types of childhood trauma — racism, bullying, watching a sibling being abused, losing a caregiver (grandmother, mother, grandfather, etc.), homelessness, surviving and recovering from a severe accident, witnessing a father being abused by a mother, witnessing a grandmother abusing a father, involvement with the foster care system, involvement with the juvenile justice system, etc.
If you're interested, find out your ACE score (out of 10) below in considering how important it is for you to begin healing from early traumas.
Also find out your BCE score below to identify positive childhood experiences that have added to your resilience.
The Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) scale is a new, culturally sensitive questionnaire of positive childhood experiences, specifically designed for adults with childhood adversity. The BCEs scale assesses the presence of 10 favorable childhood experiences reflecting love, predictability, and support, and yields a sum total score out of 10.
The more BCEs, the more potential for long term resilience which offsets the harmful effects of ACEs.
References:
https://www.pacesconnection.com/blog/got-your-ace-resilience-scores
https://acestoohigh.com/got-your-ace-score/
Steve Marriott provides counselling and psychotherapy services to individuals, couples, families, children and adolescents who live in the Northern Rivers of NSW, or online.
