By Jenalee Doom, Psychology Today, April 21, 2021
Several national and state-level organizations have led efforts to increase awareness about the negative impacts of adverse childhood experiences on mental and physical health from childhood through adulthood. These adverse childhood experiences are profoundly negative experiences children can have that include childhood abuse, neglect, witnessing domestic violence, or having a caregiver with severe mental illness or who is in prison, for example.
Adverse childhood experiences are associated with greater risk for depression, anxiety, suicide, substance use problems, and physical health problems like heart disease and cancer in adulthood. In fact, adverse childhood experiences have been named one of the biggest public health crises of our time. This statement is especially concerning considering that around two-thirds of U.S. adults report having at least one adverse childhood experience and over one-third report having two or more, underscoring the widespread nature of the problem.
Positive childhood experiences
Fortunately, we know that we are impacted by more than just the bad experiences we have. For example, having a supportive friend or partner, living in a safe neighborhood, and having access to nutritious food are all things the general public thinks of as positive. And there is research linking each of these positive experiences to better health!
Comments (0)