What if one area of research could prevent some of society's biggest problems?

Researchers say an ever-expanding pool of data on the effects of childhood trauma—and how to counteract those effects—might be the key to alleviating countless societal problems. These include criminality, substance abuse, mental health problems and some of the leading causes of death.

Those who work with children, in health care and with incarcerated populations in Crow Wing County are seeking to bring local awareness to studies on adverse childhood experiences, commonly known as ACEs. A presentation earlier this month at the Brainerd Public Library explored the connection between ACEs and incarceration. It also focused on building resiliency among those with ACEs, a factor identified through research as essential in avoiding negative consequences of childhood trauma.

"The bigger movement is about how do we break the cycle?" said Lowell Johnson of Crow Wing Inside Out Connections, one of the groups that sponsored the presentation. "How do we intervene in a way so that those people that are adults with high ACEs don't pass that on to the next generation? So that's our challenge."

A body of research

Twenty-plus years of data collection show ACEs are directly linked to measurable negative impacts on brain development. These impacts dramatically increase the risk of children experiencing problems later in life.

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