Among the 8 solutions offered for reducing health care costs in a February white paper by the Texas Medical Center Health Policy Institute is the recommendation to meaningfully address the impacts of adverse childhood experiences .
Childhood trauma is correlated with poor health outcomes – including early death. Early interventions to mitigate its effects are critical. Many studies show that childhood adversity is correlated with adult morbidity and mortality. Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are traumatic or stressful events that occur before the age of 18 that can include abuse, neglect, sexual assault, household drug abuse or incarceration. According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), adverse childhood experiences “are strongly related to the development and prevalence of a wide range of health problems throughout a person’s lifespan, including those associated with substance misuse.”
New data from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation show that at least 38 percent of children in every state have had at least one ACE such as the death or jailing of a parent, seeing or being victim to domestic violence or living with someone who is suicidal or suffers from addiction. Nationally, 46 percent of U.S. youth have experienced at least once ACE.
Savings may result from social work programs that address the needs of those who’ve faced childhood trauma, such as positive parenting and enhanced family support. Addressing ACEs early is critical to reduce the rising cost of health care. A recent study in the UK found that individuals with at least four ACEs are at an increased risk of poor health outcomes. According to the study, risks “were strong for sexual risk taking, mental (illness) and problematic alcohol use, and strongest for problematic drug use and interpersonal and self-directed violence.”
The same study found that the effects were more pronounced on women, who had a 66 percent increased risk of early death with one adversity and 80 percent increased risk with two or more ACEs.
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