Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)- Understanding Their Link to Suicide and Long-term Developmental Impacts

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)- Understanding Their Link to Suicide and Long-term Developmental Impacts

What is the connection between adverse childhood experiences and suicide?

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are types of childhood trauma that severely affect children’s mental health to the extent of changing their physiology. They can occur when children live with parents who struggle with mental illness or substance abuse, are incarcerated or divorced, or children who witness physical or mental abuse or neglect(Harris, 2014). As a result, ACE-affected children are more likely to engage in risky behavior. To demonstrate, Harris (2014) stated that children exposed to these traumatic events are more likely than children who are not to commit suicide 12 times more than an individual with no ACE experience.

How do these experiences impact physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development later in life?

ACEs have a long-term impact on children’s health by impairing body development. ACEs, for example, affect hormonal systems and brain development; the risk of heart disease and lung cancer later in life is tripled when exposed to high doses of childhood trauma, the immune system, DNA read and transcripted, and a 20-year lowered lifespan (Harris, 2014). As a result, if these areas are affected while children are developing, it will manifest later in life, causing children to exhibit anxiety, depression, and learning disabilities, affecting their interaction with peers and future relationships. According to statistics, at least 67 percent of the population had experienced at least one ACE. In comparison, 12.6 percent had more than four ACEs, with children with a higher ACE score having poorer health outcomes, including a doubled risk of developing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) compared to someone with an ACE score of 0.

Furthermore, suppose the immune system is compromised, ACE-affected adults are at a high risk of contracting an infection from parasites, viruses, or bacteria, making them sick frequently. With doctors being less trained in routine screening and treatment of ACE, there is significant misdiagnosis, especially with poor history taking with most patients being referred for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The condition, however, is treatable and preventable. When people’s bodies and minds are affected, their social and professional lives are jeopardized.

References

Harris, N. (2014). How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime. Ted.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021, from https://www.ted.com/talks/nadine_burke_harris_how_childhood_trauma_affects_health_across_a_lifetime?language=ha#t-4689.

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What is the connection between adverse childhood experiences and suicide?

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)- Understanding Their Link to Suicide and Long-term Developmental Impacts

How do these experiences impact physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development later in life?
Use the TEDTalk located in the Topic 7 materials as a resource for your response.