Childhood trauma and other forms of significant adversity early in life can have lasting consequences for mental and physical health, including an increased risk of developing depression, anxiety, heart disease and cancer. But studies also indicate that even when children are exposed to significant adversity, the presence of a responsive, nurturing caregiver can buffer the brain and body from the physiological effects of that stress.
I’ve been fascinated by this research – and the implications it has for public policy – since learning about it many years ago, but never managed to dig into it. In the months following the shootings in Newton, Conn., I heard more about childhood adversity while covering the state’s response, which included a significant focus on mental health. Many people came forward with heartbreaking stories of children, teens or young adults struggling to get the care they needed, falling through what seemed to be an endless series of gaps in the system. Much attention was focused on how to better serve those in crisis, or those teetering at the edge. But a small group of experts had a different message: If you want to make the biggest difference, focus on children’s earliest years and the relationships they have with the people around them.
[For more of this story, written by Arielle Levin Becker, go to http://www.reportingonhealth.o...e-rethink-interviews]
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