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Understanding How Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Can Affect Children

Table of Contents


Overview

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are things that happen before adulthood that can cause trauma. Or they're things that make a child feel like their home isn't safe or stable. Some examples of ACEs include violence, neglect, abuse, and family mental health or substance use problems.

What are some examples of ACEs?

Here are some of the most common types of ACEs.

There are other childhood experiences that can cause trauma as well. For example, things like discrimination, being bullied, and being in foster care can also cause stress that can have long-term effects.

What happens when a child has had ACEs?

ACEs are common. By adulthood, most people have at least one. How a child is affected by ACEs depends on the type of ACE and how much distress it causes.

Children who have multiple ACEs tend to have more physical and mental health problems later in life. This may be because of physical changes that can happen in a child's body when they have ongoing stress. It may also be because of health-harming behaviors (like smoking or risky sexual behavior) that are more common in people with more ACEs.

Having had ACEs doesn't mean that a child will have physical or mental health problems. But it does mean that their risk for those things is higher. There are things you can do to reduce the effects of ACEs on a child. And there are ways that adults in a child's life can help prevent future ACEs.

What can you do to help?

After a child has had ACEs, the best thing you can do is try to prevent future harm while helping the child heal from the experiences they've already had. Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start, or what to do. Remember, it's never too late to make changes, big or small. Here are some tips.


Credits for Understanding How Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Can Affect Children

Current as of: June 24, 2023

Author: Healthwise Staff (https://www.healthwise.org/specialpages/legal/abouthw/en)
Clinical Review Board (https://www.healthwise.org/specialpages/legal/abouthw/en)
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