A new study has shed light on the alarming prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among U.S. high school students. The research, published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, reveals that a staggering 76.1% of students reported experiencing at least one ACE, with 18.5% facing four or more. This startling data underscores the urgent need to address the long-term impact of childhood trauma on adolescent mental health and well-being.
ALONE IN A CROWDED ROOM: THE HIDDEN EPIDEMIC
Dr. Elizabeth A. Swedo, with the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues from the Division of Adolescent and School Health pooled data for a new national study to estimate the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among high school students.”); Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, neglect, witnessing domestic violence, or living with a parent who has a mental health or substance use disorder can have a devastating effect that lasts into adulthood.
The results are unsettling and interesting. These ACEs — emotional abuse, physical abuse, and poor household mental health — were reported by 61.5%, 31.8%, and 28.4% of students, respectively. This is a pattern that, the researchers said, was also more likely to be experienced by certain populations such as females and American Indian or Alaska Native, multiracial, and LGBTQ+ students.
Source The Rippling Effects of Childhood Trauma
The results of the study highlight the imperative of intervention for those exposed to adverse childhood experiences across their lifetime. ACEs were closely linked with a variety of unfavorable health outcomes as well as risky behaviors, such as suicide efforts, substance usage, and sexual danger behavior. Indeed, suicide attempts (89.4%), serious consideration of suicide (85.4%), and prescription opioid misuse (84.3%) had the highest population-attributable fractions (PAFs) associated with ACEs [].
For example, researchers estimate that up to 89.4% of suicide attempts among high school students might have been averted if ACEs had not occurred, along with 85.4% of suicidal ideation and 84.3% of prescription opioid misuse. These staggering numbers demonstrate the deep and pervasive effects of early life trauma on the health and future well-being of adolescents.
Breaking the Cycle Prevention and Intervention Techniques
The authors of the study stress that preventing ACEs may be key to significant public health benefits across the life course, not only in adolescence. Strengths-based approaches to ACEs prevention may involve family and community strengthening, trauma-informed care, and school-based models that promote resilience and healthy coping strategies.
We can stop the cycle of trauma and ensure that all young people have a chance to do well by making these investments in prevention and intervention efforts. The authors of the study concluded, “Prevention of ACEs could have large public health benefits well into adolescence and beyond.” We must prioritize the mental health and wellness of our young people, and we must act to stop this otherwise silent epidemic.
