A lot of people have been told to just “get over it” or “suck it up” about something painful that happened in their past. Unfortunately, researchers have found that it’s often not that simple, particularly when the harm that was done to us was in childhood. At The Pavilion in Williamsburg, Virginia, we understand how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can have a lasting impact on our patients. That’s why we provide trauma-informed care for every client we serve and their families.
What Are ACEs?
ACEs are potentially traumatic experiences that occur before a person reaches adulthood. Some examples of ACEs include:
- Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
- Neglect
- Living with a family member who has mental health or substance use disorders
- Loss of a loved one, due to death, placement in foster care, or divorce
- Poverty
- Witnessing violence in the home or community
- Racism, discrimination or oppression
Understanding ACEs and Trauma
Because ACEs occur during childhood, people experience them before their brains are fully developed and when they have limited coping skills or ability to protect themselves. This relative helplessness increases the likelihood that they will result in trauma. Trauma occurs when a person endures something so painful, frightening or overwhelming that it exceeds their ability to cope. Two people can experience the same difficult event, and only one of them find it traumatic if one of them has more resources and support to navigate the situation.
Immediate Impact from ACEs
Children who experience ACEs are exposed to toxic stress, which damages their brain and causes:
- Fight, flight, or freeze response
- Inability to focus and learn in school
- Impulsive and risky behaviors
- Difficulty trusting adults and making friends with other kids
- Feelings of anxiety, depression, guilt, or shame
The Long-Term Effect of ACEs
ACEs aren’t something a person can just “get over.” If an event is traumatic, it could have lasting consequences. One in six adults has experienced four or more ACEs. The more ACEs a person has survived, the more likely they are to have negative outcomes in adulthood. Some of these include:
- Drug, alcohol, and tobacco misuse
- Obesity, increasing their risk for diabetes or heart disease
- Depression and suicide attempts
- Sexual transmitted infections
- Stroke
- Cancer
- COPD and asthma
- Committing elder abuse
People with high ACEs scores are likely to die 20-25 years younger than people who have ACEs scores below four.
Preventing ACEs
Preventing ACEs would reduce the number of adults with depression by nearly 45 percent. ACEs can be prevented by
- Parents becoming aware of their own feelings and developing skills to manage their emotions effectively. Parents may be better able to do this if they address their own ACEs and generational trauma in therapy.
- Ensuring that families and communities have adequate resources so that every child has enough food, clothing, diapers, safe housing, and proper supervision.
- Increasing access to substance abuse and mental health treatment for caregivers
- Reducing crime in communities
- Addressing discrimination and oppression
Addressing ACEs Effectively
It is also possible for children and adolescents to navigate ACEs in a way that does not result in trauma. This involves:
- Making sure children are safe and also feel safe, which is more likely in a home with protective, supportive adults, schedules, and routines
- Therapy to process what occurred and to regain their sense of safety.
- Helping children to have a sense of belonging and connection – making friends, joining sports, clubs, and other community groups could make this easier.
- Teaching children how to understand and regulate their own emotions – grounding exercises may be particularly helpful.
- Giving children the opportunity to learn and practice coping and problem-solving skills
- Offering children praise for the efforts they make – not just focusing on achievement, but also the value of trying, failing, and growing from what they learn.
How Many ACEs Did You Experience?
Two thirds of people have at ACEs score of at least one. Because so many people survived at least one adverse experience in childhood, the question is not if, but how many ACEs most people encountered. If you’re curious about your ACEs score, you can take the quiz online.
At The Pavilion, we treat adults and seniors who are struggling with mental health concerns. Although our patients are no longer children, we recognize that many of our patients have likely experienced traumatic events and that they may be part of a family and community where trauma is common. Our trauma-informed approach means that we are sensitive to their trauma histories and mindful of how we engage with them.
