Center for Resiliency and Wellbeing (CRW)

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are stressful or traumatic events that happen to children and teens. These include discrete life-threatening events, such as abuse, neglect, household dysfunction, as well as ongoing conditions like bullying, poverty, racism or discrimination. These experiences link to both short-term and long-term impacts on health, emotions, behavior and ability to succeed later in life.

Health experts first identified 10 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) that are closely tied to higher health risks for children and teens. 

• Physical abuse
• Verbal abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Physical neglect
• Emotional neglect
• Depressed or mentally ill family member
• Family member addicted to alcohol or another substance
• Imprisoned family member
• Witnessing a caregiver being abused
• Losing a caregiver to separation, divorce or death

Today, we also recognize that many children face other adversities, like racism, poverty, discrimination, and unsafe neighborhoods, which can similarly activate the body’s stress response and impact lifelong health. 

When children go through a lot of stress, their bodies release ‘stress chemicals’ more often than usual. This can affect healthy brain development, their bodies and even how they handle tough situations. It can also make it harder to manage their feelings, get along with others or focus and learn in school.

Children and teens who have faced ACEs may be more likely to experience difficulties such as:

• Anxiety, depression
• Challenges with eating habits, such as overeating or loss of appetite
• Mood disorders or difficulty managing emotions
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Physical health concerns, like asthma, frequent headaches or stomachaches, sleep problems, overweight/obesity
• Using tobacco, alcohol or other substances to cope
• Thoughts of self-harm or suicide
• Trouble focusing or performing well at school or work
   

The body has a built-in alarm system, called the stress response system, that switches on whenever a person feels scared or senses danger. It releases chemicals and hormones to help the body stay safe in the moment. This system is always working to decide if we are ‘safe’ or ‘not safe.’ It’s important for survival, but if it turns on too often, it can start to affect a person’s body, feelings, and behavior in harmful ways.

Your body always looks for balance. Homeostasis means stability. It’s the steady state that keeps things like heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure within a healthy range. Allostasis means adaptation. It’s how your body adjusts when things change or stress appears so that you can meet the demands of the situation.

Here’s how they work together:

• Homeostasis: Your body keeps your temperature near 98.6 °F.
  Allostasis: Before you even step outside on a cold morning, your brain anticipates cold, tightens blood vessels, and adjusts metabolism in advance. 
• Homeostasis: Your body keeps blood sugar in a steady range.
  Allostasis: Your blood sugar rises when you wake up to prepare you for the day. Your body gives you energy before familiar routines, such as going to school or playing sports. 
• Homeostasis: Heart rate stays within a steady, age-appropriate range. 
  Allostasis: Hearing a sudden noise increases your heart rate before you know what it is – your body prepares you to act.

During exercise, your brain releases stress hormones like adrenaline, which increases heart rate, blood flow, and oxygen delivery to your muscles.

These quick adjustments keep you safe. But when stress happens too often, your body stays in “adjust” mode — and that constant effort can wear it down over time.
 

Resiliency is the ability to adapt to challenges or traumatic events in a positive way and return to a state of being that is health promoting. For children, building resilience is a process that takes time. It means having the tools, support and confidence to navigate challenges. Families can build resiliency by practicing and developing coping skills, finding positive outlets for stress, engaging in play and learning together, and creating safe, stable and nurturing relationships and environments.  Over time, these strengths can help children bounce back from adversity and feel hopeful about the future. 

Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an approach that helps us understand how trauma affects a child’s body and mind. When children experience trauma, it activates their stress response to help them survive in the short term. Over time, lasting stress can lead to problems with physical health, mental health and behavior.

TIC encourages seeing behavior as a response to past experiences, rather than a personal flaw. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with you?” TIC invites us to ask, “What happened to you?” and “How can I support you?” with curiosity and compassion.

Compassionate connection is an approach we use to understand children and families within the context of their life experiences, without blame or shame. We assume each caregiver and child is doing their best, and we work together to build trust, reduce fear and promote healing.

PCEs are positive relationships, environments and opportunities that help children feel they belong, are safe and are valued. They build connections, strengthen resilience and can offset some of the effects of past trauma.