Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are traumatic events that occur before someone turns 18. An extremely common phenomenon, more than 60% of American adults report having adverse childhood experiences, which may lead to lasting physical and mental health consequences. While the idea of childhood trauma makes most people cringe, it’s important to understand how ACEs can affect us into adulthood if we want to become better and protect future generations from having adverse childhood experiences, too. 

Here, we’ll share some important information about ACEs to help you understand and detect them, either for yourself or for children in your life. By learning about ACEs and their lasting effects, you can work to heal from your past and make the future brighter for your children. 

Types of ACE

Adverse childhood experiences are typically broken down into three categories: abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. Children exposed to these experiences may be at an increased risk of developing mental health conditions, exhibiting behavioral problems, or signs of chronic illness and physical health conditions. Highly sensitive to adverse experiences and negative environments, even being told about a traumatic event can cause long-lasting effects, especially for young children. Here’s an overview of the various types of ACE:

Abuse

Abuse, or the purposeful misuse or mistreatment of an individual, is the most well-known and understood ACE. Most people can recognize overt abuse, making it one of the most easily detectable types of childhood trauma. Children may experience physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal abuse, or witness an abusive parent, sibling, or family member abusing other members of the household. 

Neglect

Neglect occurs when a child is not given adequate resources or attention, like food, emotional support, clean clothes, toys to play with, and so on. Some children may experience neglect from their parents or guardian, or may experience neglect in daycare/school, at camp, or even from a babysitter or occasional visitor. Even short periods of neglect can make a mark on a growing child’s mind, and affect them for years to come. 

Household Dysfunction

Household dysfunction is the broadest type of ACE and includes a wide range of experiences from witnessing inter-familial arguing to experiencing a death in the family. Other common types of household dysfunction include: 

• Family member incarceration

• Domestic violence

• Substance abuse

• Guardians with untreated mental illness

• Chronic health conditions

• Poverty, food insecurity, or housing insecurity

• Divorce

Perhaps the least readily recognizable as traumatic events, household dysfunction also happens to be the most common type of ACE, with most adults that experience childhood trauma reporting dysfunction at home growing up. 

Consequences of ACEs & Toxic Stress

Everyone experiences stress, but not everyone experiences trauma at an early age. Adverse childhood experiences can be classified as toxic stress, which is stress that doesn’t help us grow and instead creates toxic effects in the mind and body. While some traumatic experiences may be easy to brush off, most individuals who experience ACEs do not have an adequate support system to help them cope with their stress. As a result, ACEs turn to toxic stress, which can infect the body for decades after the actual event. 

Many adults who had adverse childhood experiences report experiencing symptoms of mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Some individuals may be more likely to commit violent crimes or find themselves in violent environments, and may even be at higher risk for developing conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and even certain cancers. 

Preventing ACEs

Adverse childhood experiences are entirely preventable, but it takes understanding to begin making changes that will influence childhood safety and security. In particular, there needs to be an emphasis on parental support. Between working multiple jobs, paying loans and bills, and taking care of inevitable emergencies, many parents struggle to make ends meet and give their children the stability they know they need. 

At Whole Self Therapy, we focus on building a community of trust, support, and understanding to enable parents to share their experiences and gain new tools to improve the lives of their children. For kids, we offer play therapy, engaging family therapy, and therapy specifically for children who have already had adverse childhood experiences. 

Stress in childhood isn’t a life sentence for stress for the rest of your life; with the help of a professional, you can help yourself (or your child) to overcome their ACEs and develop tools for leading happy, healthy, and confident lives. If you are ready to start your healing journey or are looking for support, don’t hesitate to contact us by visiting our website, or giving us a call at (267) 996-9964.