Let’s talk about ACEs (and why they are so important)

In 1998, a groundbreaking new study shook the medical and psychological world forever. The researchers asked almost a thousand people a set of questions about their adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), ranging from their experiences of abuse (e.g., psychological, physical, or sexual abuse) to problems in their home environment (e.g., parental substance abuse, parental mental illness, domestic violence, or parental criminal behavior). These were the questions they asked (Felitti et al., 1998):

They also asked people about their physical health, including asking about some of the biggest risk factors that lead to an early death (e.g., smoking, obesity, drug abuse, etc.) and about some of the biggest health conditions that lead to an early death (e.g., cancer, heart disease, etc.).

Their results would forever change the way we look at trauma.

The first shocking finding was that more than half of the participants reported that they had experienced at least one of these ACEs. Think about that for a minute. As I write this, I am sitting in a coffee shop on a busy Saturday morning. There’s probably 30 people in this room. It’s likely 15 of them had this kind of adverse childhood experience. That’s much, much higher than most people would assume.

For people who experienced these ACEs, the researchers also found they were more likely to engage in some unhealthy health behaviors that put them at risk for health problems (e.g., smoking, drug abuse, etc.) and were more likely to have dangerous health conditions (e.g., like cancer). Your long-term physical health is massively impacted by your childhood experiences. Clients often tell me that they think they should be able to easily “move on” from adverse childhood experiences. That it happened “so long ago” that it shouldn’t matter anymore. But it still matters – and it may be seriously impacting your health.

The researchers also found that, if you experienced ACEs of one category (for example, a parent having a substance abuse problem), you likely experienced ACEs of other categories (for example, experiencing psychological abuse). And, if you experienced more categories of the ACEs, you were even more likely to engage in health risk behaviors and have health problems. This means that, if you answered yes to multiple of the questions in the ACEs list, you have an even greater likelihood of having health problems. Adverse Childhood Experiences have a strong, and cumulative, impact on a person’s physical health in adulthood.

I’ve experienced ACEs - What do I do now?

You may find yourself feeling overwhelmed as you read through this research. You may feel frustrated or angry, seeing how situations in your childhood have only made your adult problems more complicated. You may feel discouraged or hopeless – how can you change your life if things have been stacked against you from the beginning?

It’s important to approach our problems with self-compassion, kindness, and a sense of responsibility. On the one hand, using shame or negative self-talk (AKA beating ourselves up) doesn’t work very well for changing our behavior. On the other hand, blaming others or the past for our current situation will do very little to change our behavior either. You may not be responsible for how you got here, but you’re responsible for where you go next.

Maybe that means reaching out for help from a mental or medical health professional to help stop unhealthy behaviors like smoking, drug use, or unhealthy eating. Maybe that means being more intentional and caring with taking care of our health conditions. Approaching our health from a place of self-compassion, kindness, and responsibility can help open up our hearts to the help we need from others.

It's also important we consider how our current problems impact the next generation. Look at those ACE questions again, but I want you to think about the perspective of your children. How many of those questions speak to their experiences? What can you do about that now? Maybe getting serious about quitting alcohol can make a difference in your child’s future. Maybe going to a therapist to work on your depression can make a difference in your child’s future. Maybe reconsidering the health of your romantic relationships can make a difference in your child’s future. You may have been a child then, but you’re a parent now. Taking care of yourself directly impacts the emotional, relational, and even physical health of your children, even into their adult years.

This is how we break cycles.

By looking our past in the eye and being honest about what happened to us. By taking steps, every day, to make things better for the next generation. Could therapy be that next step for you? Don’t wait another day to get started on your therapy journey. Reach out to a therapist today.

Want to learn more? Check out https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/about.html

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, April 6). About the CDC-Kaiser Ace Study |Violence prevention|injury Center|CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/about.html

Felitti V. J., Anda R. F., Nordenberg D., Williamson D. F., Spitz A. M., Edwards V., Koss M. P. & Marks J. S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults:the adverse childhood experiences (ace) study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 245–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00017-8