Hanna principal addresses the ‘devastating consequences’ of childhood trauma

Hanna head seeks to raise awareness of ‘public health crisis’|

Since I arrived at Hanna in June of 2014, we have been focused a great deal on the impact of trauma and adversity on the boys and families we serve. Over the course of the last 20 years, research has been conducted on the negative impact “childhood trauma and adversity” has on the developing brain, how these early experiences disrupt neurodevelopment and set children on a trajectory that leads to significant difficulties in adolescent and adult functioning.

The Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACE, study was launched a generation ago and looked at the impact of childhood adversity, trauma and toxic stress in childhood (abuse, neglect, domestic violence, substance abuse or mental illness in the family, etc.) on adult health and social outcomes. Here are some of the findings:

• ACEs are common…nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of adults report at least one adverse experience.

• They dramatically increase the risk of adult onset of chronic disease, such as cancer and heart disease, as well as mental illness, violence and being a victim of violence

• The more ACEs you have, the greater the risk for chronic disease, mental illness, violence and being a victim of violence. Your ACE score is like a cholesterol score for childhood trauma. People with an ACE score of 4 are twice as likely to be smokers and seven times more likely to be alcoholic. They are four times more likely to suffer from emphysema or chronic bronchitis and are 12 times more likely to commit suicide. People with high ACE scores are more likely to be violent, depressed, experience a broken marriage and suffer from an autoimmune disease. People with an ACE score of six or higher on average live 20 years shorter than the norm.

* ACEs are responsible for a big chunk of workplace absenteeism as well as for costs in health care, emergency response, mental health and criminal justice.

Subsequent studies have shown that bad outcomes do not only emerge in adulthood. A study done in Spokane, Washington elementary schools revealed that children with three or more adversities were found to be three times more likely to experience academic failure, five times more likely to have severe attendance problems, six times more likely to have severe behavioral concerns and four times more likely to have poor health.

With greater awareness that the emotional, academic and behavioral challenges many of our children face have their origins in early childhood adversity, it becomes clear that if we are really going to help kids recover and thrive, we need to reexamine our disciplinary practices and treatment protocols. We need to become more “trauma informed” and change the fundamental question in education and care from “What is wrong with you?” to “What has happened to you?” Kids who struggle are not sick or bad, in most cases they are injured. As our understanding of the origins of their struggles evolves, so must our approach to how we intervene.

The ACE study, and the many subsequent studies done across the country, demonstrate that experiences of childhood adversity are very common and have devastating social consequences. Childhood Adversity is a public health crisis that is receiving very little attention in the broader community.

At Hanna we are trying to raise awareness, develop and share strategies to address this problem, and offer tested solutions. We are excited about the potential of what we are learning to improve the outcomes for our boys at Hanna as well as young people throughout the region. We will continue to share what we are learning with the community.

Brian Farragher is the executive director of Hanna Boys Center.

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