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Understanding ACEs

ACEs, Understanding ACEs

We have all been through difficult experiences. Often, you may notice that you don’t really feel like yourself after you’ve just dealt with something particularly painful. You may even be permanently changed by awful things happening to you. This is also true for children and teens. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is a term researchers have used to categorize painful, potentially traumatic events that occur before the age of 18 and can have long-lasting impacts. 

At Palms Behavioral Health in Harlingen, Texas, we provide trauma-informed care to patients of all ages who are struggling with a psychiatric diagnosis, and we support their families as well. We find that it can be helpful for patients and their loved ones to understand ACEs and their long-term effects.

What is Trauma?

Trauma occurs when a person is so overwhelmed by a dangerous, frightening, or painful event that they are simply unable to cope with what has occurred. Trauma is a common factor in people developing mental health disorders and many other problems. Trauma can happen to a person at any age. Trauma is also an individual experience, meaning that what is traumatic for one person may only be moderately upsetting for another because they have different coping skills, different perspectives, or different support systems to help them navigate the situation.

What are ACEs?

ACEs are potentially traumatic events that have occurred in the life of a person while they were under the age of 18. Researchers have found that the more ACEs a person experiences as a child, the more likely they are to have medical and psychiatric issues later in life. Some examples of ACEs include:

  • Neglect and abuse – physical, emotional, or sexual
  • Natural disasters – hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc.
  • Living with a family member who has mental health or substance use disorders
  • Witnessing violence – in the home or the community
  • Sudden separation from loved ones – this frequently occurs as a result of death, placement in foster care, incarceration, or divorce
  • Poverty
  • Racism

How Common are ACEs?

ACEs are very common. Most adults experienced at least one painful and potentially traumatic event in childhood. Around a quarter of American adults experienced three or more ACEs before they reached 18 years of age. Some people are more likely to have high numbers of ACEs, such as: 

  • Individuals with parents who have experienced a lot of trauma
  • People who are part of a racial minority
  • Those who have a lower level of academic attainment 
  • LGBT people
  • Women

Conditions Linked to High ACE Scores

Five of the top 10 leading causes of death are associated with ACEs. The more ACEs a person has experienced, the more likely they are to have some unpleasant long-term outcomes, which include:

  • Engaging in risky behaviors:
    • Smoking
    • Drinking
    • Illicit substance use
    • Unprotected sex
  • Injuries
  • Sexual trafficking
  • Mental illness and suicide attempts
  • Maternal and child health problems, for example:
    • Teen pregnancy
    • Pregnancy complications
    • Fetal death
  • Potentially life-threatening, chronic medical diseases, such as:
    • Asthma/COPD
    • Cancer
    • Diabetes
    • Obesity
    • Heart disease
    • Kidney disease
  • Significantly shorter life span

What Can Be Done About ACEs

The good news is that ACEs can often be prevented, and preventing them would reduce many unwanted outcomes. For example, depression could be decreased by 44 percent, simply by preventing ACEs. 

The impacts of ACEs can also be mitigated by protective factors in a person’s life. Protective factors are the things that help a person navigate painful experiences:

  • Supportive relationships with adults, like family members, teachers, or others in the community including coaches, spiritual leaders, and the parents of friends
  • Building resilience, which allows the person to feel capable of managing difficulties
  • Receiving prompt, effective therapy to help them process what they have been through
  • Being protected from future ACEs

Finding Your ACEs Score

If you are curious to learn how many ACEs you have experienced, you can take the quiz for free online. It is important to remember that even if you have survived a high number of difficulties, this does not mean that you are destined to experience the unpleasant outcomes listed above. It is never too late to increase your protective factors and work to heal from traumatic events in your life. Breaking generational cycles of trauma can be difficult, but it is possible.

At Palms Behavioral Health, our team understands the detrimental impact ACES can have on individuals and their families. We are dedicated to preventing and mitigating the long-term effects of ACEs by strengthening the resilience of individuals and their support systems and giving them the tools to create happy, healthy futures.

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