Adverse Childhood Experiences and the ACE Study

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Adverse childhood experiences are traumatic events that take place in a child’s life before the age of eighteen. In the absence of protective factors*, the toxic stress created by these incidents can cause changes in the developing brain that have a lifelong impact on his or her health, stability, relationships, and general well-being.

Examples of adverse childhood experiences

• Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.
• Physical or emotional neglect.
• Witnessing or experiencing violence in the home or community.
• Divorce or separation of parents.
• Death of someone close.
• Poverty and/or homelessness.
• Living in an unsafe neighborhood.
• Being exposed to natural disasters.
• Bullying.
• Racism.
• Serious illness.
• Having a mentally ill family member.
• Living with someone who is a substance abuser.
• Having a family member commit suicide.
• Having a parent in jail.

Impact of adverse childhood experiences on the brain.

The human brain is not hard-wired. It is a malleable organ that can change its structure to adapt to certain life experiences, especially those that happen during early childhood. Studies of children’s brains have shown that unrelenting stress can damage the function and structure of the developing cerebrum by flooding it with stress hormones and preventing it from evolving as it should. Toxic stresscan also interfere with the healthy development of the child’s immune and hormonal systems, and even alter his or her DNA.

Children overloaded with stress hormones are in constant fight, flight, or freeze mode. The thinking part of their brain gets disconnected, which can lead to problems with memory and focus. Often, they act out and have trouble trusting adults or developing healthy relationships with peers. As they get older, they try to cope by turning to drugs, alcohol, smoking, or promiscuity to help numb their distress.

Long-term effects

Adverse childhood experiences have a ripple effect that can cause lasting repercussions throughout an individual’s life. The toxic stress that results from constant activation of the child’s stress response system compromises the body’s immune and hormonal systems and has been linked to increased risk of negative physical and mental conditions in adulthood, as well as to substance abuse, poor academic and work achievement, and even early death.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study

The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study was a large ongoing public health survey conducted in the 1990s by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente, to study the effect of childhood trauma on adult physical, mental, and social well-being. The study used a questionnaire to measure ten possible kinds of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) a child could be subjected to before the age of 18. These selected ACEs fell under one of three categories – abuse, neglect, or household challenges – and were assigned one point each.

ACEs by category

• Abuse – Physical, verbal, and sexual abuse.
• Neglect – Physical and emotional neglect.
• Household challenges – Living with a family member who has a mental illness; living with a family member who is an alcoholic or drug addict; having a family member in jail; witnessing a mother or primary caregiver being abused; and losing a parent to separation, death, or divorce.

Participants were asked to indicate whether or not they had witnessed or experienced any of these ten traumatic events when they were children. The total of their “yes” answers was then totaled to determine their ACE score. Scores ranged from zero to ten.

Main findings of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study

• Nearly two-thirds (64%) of the participants had experienced at least one ACE, and almost one out of six of them responded that they had experienced four or more.
• There is a direct link between adverse childhood experiences and increased risk of negative health and behavioral conditions later in life such as heart disease, diabetes, depression, obesity, autoimmune disorders, mental illness, substance abuse, poor academic and career achievement, workplace absenteeism, and being a victim or perpetrator of violence.
• Toxic stress from ACEs can change brain development and affect how the body responds to stress, compromising the body’s immune system, and speeding up disease processes and aging.
• The higher your ACE score, the greater your risks. Compared to someone with an ACE score of zero, people who scored four were found to be twice as likely to be smokers or to have heart disease or cancer; seven times more likely to be alcoholics; 390% more likely to have chronic bronchitis or emphysema; 460% more likely to suffer from depression; and 1220% more likely to commit suicide. People with an ACE score of six or higher are at risk of having their lifespan shortened by 20 years.
• Adverse childhood experiences contribute to most of the major chronic physical health, mental health, economic health, and social health conditions in the United States.
• The brain does not distinguish one type of toxic stress from another. All adverse childhood experiences have the same impact. The harmful consequences of ACEs are the same, regardless of which ones you have been exposed to.

Are the effects reversible?

The answer is yes. Probabilities are not certainties. Your brain is pliable and capable of rewiring itself. Training your mind to think differently can help form new connections and reverse the effects toxic stress in childhood had on the developing cerebrum.

Things that can help reverse the adverse effects of ACEs on your brain

• Therapy. A trained mental health professional can help you understand ACEs and their long-term impact, work through your trauma, and teach you new ways of thinking and acting that enable you to recover from the effects of toxic stress.
• Resiliency skills. Resiliency is the ability to adapt to setbacks and difficult situations. It is what helps you bounce back and keep functioning in the face of adversity. Learning how to be resilient is one of the most important coping skills for being able to handle stress in a healthier, more positive way.
• Diet and exercise. Lifestyle changes such as switching to a healthy diet and engaging in regular physical exercise can have a positive effect on the brain’s cognitive function and improve your ability to concentrate and focus. They also make your hormonal system less responsive to stress and enable you to handle it better.
• Brain exercises. Studies have shown that brain exercises that target specific areas of your brain can have a strengthening, healing effect on your prefrontal cortex. Word games, memory games, and puzzles, for example, encourage neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to create and reinforce essential interconnections.
• Mindfulness techniques. Mindfulness is an intentional state of focused, nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment. Studies have found that practicing mindfulness consistently can alter and strengthen key brain networks and promote positive change in the brain pathways involved in stress, focus, memory, and mood.

If you have questions and/or would like to set up an appointment to meet with one of the faith-based counselors in our online directory, please give us a call today.

^*Protective factors are traits or conditions that help a child be resilient and able to deal more effectively with stressful events. Some children, for example, have natural strengths that help them navigate the trauma they are exposed to in ways other children may not be able to, or they may have a strong bond with a supportive adult who helps buffer the adversity at home and provides them with a sense of safety.