Adverse childhood experiences

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include childhood emotional, physical, or sexual abuse and household dysfunction during childhood. The categories are verbal abuse, physical abuse, contact sexual abuse, a battered mother, household substance abuse, household mental illness, incarcerated household members, and parental separation or divorce. The experiences chosen were based upon prior research that has shown to them to have significant negative health or social implications, and for which substantial efforts are being made in the public and private sector to reduce their frequency of occurrence. Scientific evidence is mounting that such adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have a profound long-term effect on health. Research shows that exposure to abuse and to serious forms of family dysfunction in the childhood family environment are likely to activate the stress response, thus potentially disrupting the developing nervous, immune, and metabolic systems of children. ACEs are associated with lifelong physical and mental health problems that emerge in adolescence and persist into adulthood, including cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, autoimmune diseases, substance abuse, and depression. The concept of adverse childhood experiences refers to various traumatic events or circumstances affecting children before the age of 18 and causing mental or physical harm. There are 10 types of ACEs: Physical abuse: Any intentional act that causes physical harm through bodily contact. Sexual abuse: Any forceful, unwanted, or otherwise abusive sexual behavior. Psychological abuse: Any intentional act that causes psychological harm, such as gaslighting, bullying, or guilt-tripping. Physical neglect: Failure to help meet the basic biological needs of a child, such as food, water, and shelter. Psychological neglect: Failure to help meet the basic emotional needs of a child, such as attention and affection. Witnessing domestic abuse: Observing violence occurring between individuals in a domestic setting, such as between parents or other family members.