Hanna Boys Center Executive Director Brian Farragher wrote this for the Sonoma Index-Tribune:
Since I arrived at Hanna in June of 2014, we have been focused a great deal on the impact of trauma and adversity on the boys and families we serve. Over the course of the last 20 years, research has been conducted on the negative impact “childhood trauma and adversity” has on the developing brain, how these early experiences disrupt neurodevelopment and set children on a trajectory that leads to significant difficulties in adolescent and adult functioning.
The Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACE, study was launched a generation ago and looked at the impact of childhood adversity, trauma and toxic stress in childhood (abuse, neglect, domestic violence, substance abuse or mental illness in the family, etc.) on adult health and social outcomes. Here are some of the findings:
• ACEs are common…nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of adults report at least one adverse experience.
• They dramatically increase the risk of adult onset of chronic disease, such as cancer and heart disease, as well as mental illness, violence and being a victim of violence
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