I recently heard a startling statistic. According to a CDC study, children who endure six or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) by the age of 18—incidents of abuse or neglect that make a child feel unsafe or unwanted in their home—live on average 20 years less than their peers who are not exposed to these ACEs growing up. Furthermore, those with four or more ACEs are seven times more likely to be alcoholics in adulthood, twice as likely to develop cancer, and sadly, twelve times more likely to commit suicide. They lead sicker, shorter lives. And they often pass those disadvantages on to their own children by recreating the traumatic environments that they grew up in, perpetuating a toxic cycle.
What does a childhood with multiple adverse experiences look like? It could be a girl of divorced parents, whose mother is abusive and suffers from mental illness. It could be a young boy who is being raised by his grandparents because both his parents are addicts and incarcerated. It could be a child whose father committed suicide after years of struggling to make ends meet to feed and clothe his children. These are some of the more troubling cases. But nearly two-thirds of Americans report having one or more ACE, and more than one in five report three or more ACEs. Childhood stressors are increasing the likelihood of illness and addiction for a meaningful portion of the U.S. population–and our healthcare system fails to address this key driver of health.
Read more (and take the ACE quiz) at Forbes.