A new white paper, released by the Center for Youth Wellness, highlights the significant health and development challenges faced by children exposed to chronic early adversity, and outlines recommended steps to address this public health problem.
“An Unhealthy Dose of
Stress” explores the link between ACEs and poor health outcomes. Exposure to strong, frequent or prolonged adversity, such as ACEs, without adequate support from an adult, can cause
a severe stress response—or toxic stress—with serious, lifelong implications for children’s health and futures.
The white paper is intended to be a resource as well as a call to action. It also offers actionable solutions for health professionals and policy makers to promote the health and success of children facing chronic adversity, including: gathering more data on the prevalence of ACEs among Californians as a critical first step; supporting research to identify evidence-based interventions; educating pediatricians and other healthcare professionals to screen for ACEs and toxic stress; improving access to healthcare, including mental health, for all families; and advancing the integration of behavioral and physical health care services to heal the whole child—body and mind.
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