Take the ACE survey and determine your ACE score. (You would have done this last week). Now that you’ve got your ACE score, what does it mean? As you have read these last two weeks, the origins of the ACEs study — the largest,most important public health study you never heard of — began in an obesity clinic. The study uncovered a stunning link between childhood trauma and the chronic diseases people
develop as adults, as well as social and emotional problems. This includes heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes and many autoimmune diseases, as well as depression, violence, being a victim of violence, and suicide. The first research results were published in 1998, followed by 57 other publications through 2011. They showed that:
• Childhood trauma was very common, even in employed white, middle-class, college-educated people with great health insurance;
• There was a direct link between childhood trauma and adult onset of chronic disease, as well as depression, suicide, being violent, and being a victim of violence;
• More types of trauma increased the risk of health, social and emotional problems; and
• People usually experience more than one type of trauma — rarely is it only sex abuse or only verbal abuse.
Ten types of childhood trauma were measured in the ACEs study. Five are personal: physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect. Five are related to other family members: a parent who is an alcoholic, a mother who is a victim of domestic violence, a family member in jail, a family member diagnosed with a mental illness, and the disappearance of a parent through divorce, death or abandonment. Each type of trauma counts as one.
Assignment : Reflective paper
Write a two-page (double-spaced, 250 words) reflection on your own ACE score.
Your responses to the questions on this survey are a reflection of some of the experiences you had as a child but they do not define who you are. This survey was developed because of the widespread incidence of trauma across communities, cultures, socioeconomic boundaries, and genders; you are not alone. Consider the following when writing your paper:
• How have your own ACEs impacted your life and your health?
• How do you feel about yourself as a pediatric provider after learning about ACEs?
• How will you incorporate this into your pediatric care? Consider how you recognize current manifestations of ACEs in patients and families. How does it look “walking through your office door?”
