Describe the landmark Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study and list its two major findings.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers may vary.The relationship between traumatic childhood experiences and physical and emotional health outcomes in adult life is at the core of the landmark Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. The ACE Study involved the cooperation of over 17,000 middle-aged (average age was 57), middle-class Americans who agreed to help researchers study the following nine categories of childhood abuse and household dysfunction: recurrent physical abuse; recurrent emotional abuse; contact sexual abuse; an alcohol and/or drug abuser in the household; an incarcerated household member; a household member who is chronically depressed, mentally ill, institutionalized, or suicidal; a mother who is treated violently; one or no parents; and emotional or physical neglect. Each participant received an ACE score in the range of 0-9 reflecting the number of such experiences he or she reported.The study has two major findings. First, adverse childhood experiences are much more common than anticipated or recognized-even in the middle-class population that participated in the study, all of whom were receiving health care via a large health maintenance organization (HMO). It is reasonable to assume that the prevalence of ACEs is significantly higher among young African American and Latino males-many of whom live with chronic stress and do not have a regular source of health care. The study's second major finding is that adverse childhood experiences have a strong relationship to health outcomes later in life. As the ACE score increases, so does the risk of an array of social and health problems such as social, emotional, and cognitive impairment; presence of health-risk behaviors; disease, disability, and social problems; and early death. ACEs are strongly correlated with adolescent health, teen pregnancy, smoking, substance abuse, sexual behavior, the risk of revictimization, performance in the workforce, and the stability of relationships, among other health determinants. The higher the ACE score, the greater the risk of heart disease, lung disease, liver disease, suicide, HIV and STDs, and other risks for the leading causes of death.