Adverse Childhood Experiences

I was at a workshop the other day and the speaker mentioned Adverse Childhood Experiences. I googled it and found a very interesting study. It revealed information about the health, social, and economic risks that result from childhood trauma.

The study stated that 63% of the people who participated in the study had experinced at least one category of childhood trauma. Over 20% experienced 3 or more categories of trauma they call Adverse Childhood Experiences.

The more categories of trauma experienced in childhood, the greater the likelihood of experiencing:

• alcoholism and alcohol abuse
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• depression
• fetal death
• poor health-related quality of life
• illicit drug use
• ischemic heart disease
• liver disease
• risk for intimate partner violence
• multiple sexual partners
• sexually transmitted diseases
• smoking
• obesity
• suicide attempts
• unintended pregnancies

Yet another reason to become a CASA and advocate for abused and neglected children to ensure that their needs do not go unheard. If you are interested in becoming a CASA contact Jane Christophersen at 362-0694 #13 / janecysb@sbcglobal.net