New Video from CDC: We can Prevent ACEs, AcesConnection.com – This 5 minute video by the CDC promotes the idea that ACEs and their consequences are preventable. There are five strategies that help stop ACEs before they even start: strengthening economic support, changing social norms, providing quality child care and early education, enhancing parenting skills, intervening to lessen harms and prevent future risk. If the hyperlink does not work, please copy and paste this link in your browser http://www.acesconnection.com/blog/new-video-from-cdc-we-can-prevent-aces
Wisconsin Childhood Trauma Data Explodes Myth of ‘Not in My Small Town’, JSOnline.com – The article details the risk of opioid deaths in Rock County, Wisconsin. The author attributes the rise of overdose deaths to the economic downturn, prevalence of ACEs, and denial of heroin use in the small town. The area has developed a program called “Hope for Heroin” in which recovering addicts share their experiences with users in moments of crisis.
Lasting Damage: The Public Health Funder Linking Childhood Trauma and Illness, InsidePhilanthropy.com – Children who experience ACEs are more likely to have trouble calming themselves down, focusing and keeping friends as well as more likely to experience adverse long-term health effects. The article outlines a number of different foundations and organizations such as the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health and Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation who focus on supporting children and young people affected by trauma.
Early Trauma Institute, AcesConnection.com – Author Jo Spencer wrote the book, “Healing the Wound That Won’t Heal: the Reality of Trauma” after her father died after suffering extreme PTSD after World War II. She founded the non-profit the Early Trauma Institute with the mission of increasing public awareness about infant and childhood trauma. If the hyperlink does not work, please copy and paste this link in your browser http://www.acesconnection.com/blog/early-trauma-institute
How Trauma and Resilience Cross Generations, OnBeing.org – Rachel Yehuda, an expert in understanding the biological transmission of stress and trauma across generations. She has studied children of Holocaust survivors and pregnant women who survived the 9/11 attacks and was interviewed on her work. The transcript of her interview details Dr. Yehuda’s research on historical trauma’s biological impacts.
An Asteroid Did Not Fall From the Sky, AcesConnection.com—Virtually all mass murderers, prison inmates, rapists and other violent criminals grew up in homes with child abuse, domestic violence, and drug and/or alcohol use. Although almost every mass murderer and terrorist has a high ACE score, mitigating factors such as strong social support, mentorship, and mental health support can help individuals with high ACE scores with the risk of unhealthy outcomes. The author analyzes Stephen Paddock, the Las Vegas shooter who killed 58 people, as having an ACE score of at least 6 after suffering physical abuse from his brother, parental divorce, and an incarcerated and mentally ill father. If the hyperlink does not work, please copy and paste this link in your browser http://www.acesconnection.com/blog/an-asteroid-did-not-fall-from-the-sky
Traumatic Experiences Widespread Among U.S. Young, New Data Show, AcesConnection.com-- New national data show that at least 38 percent of children in every state have had at least one ACE, such as the death or incarceration of a parent, witnessing or being a victim of violence, or living with someone who has been suicidal or had a drug or alcohol problem. In 16 states, at least 25 percent of children have had two or more ACEs. Findings come from data in the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health and an analysis conducted by the Child & Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and are being released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in collaboration with CAHMI. If the hyperlink does not work, please copy and paste this link in your browser http://www.acesconnection.com/blog/traumatic-experiences-widespread-among-u-s-youth-new-data-show
Suicide and Depression Awareness for Students, LearnPscychology.org – The Suicide Prevention Resource Tool includes resources to understanding mental health, depression and suicide, warning signs of suicide, outside organizations devoted to suicide prevention as well as useful infographics on risk factors and myths about suicide. This engaging tool is a user-friendly platform discussing suicide prevention.
Student Mental Health: A guide to identifying disorders and promoting wellness, AffordableCollegesOnline.org – The Student Mental Health Resource discusses the top mental health concerns faced by students and potential university resources to manage depression, anxiety and stress, alcohol and drug abuse, ADHD, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, OCD, and PTSD. Each category is included with a description and online and on campus resources.
Impact of Cyberbullying: Addressing the needs of Children and Youth, SAMHSA – This one-hour webcast outlines the causes, repercussions, and impacts of cyberbullying, which is bullying that takes place on electronic technology. Children who are cyberbullied are more likely to have low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, and skip school while the bullies are more likely to experience depression, ADD, or anxiety. Bullies most often know their victims, though they can be anonymous. The webcast includes a discussion with 3 experts: Ingrid Donato, Chief of Mental Health Promotion at SAMHSA, Zach Marks, founder of GROM Social, a protected and monitored social media site for kids, and Dr. Dorothy Espelage, Professor of Psychology at The University of Florida.
Are You at Risk for Secondary Traumatic Stress?, Edutopia.org – Any professional who listens to children recount traumatic events is at risk for secondary traumatic stress, which decreases professional effectiveness and overall quality of life with symptoms such as disconnection, chronic exhaustion, cynicism, hopelessness, and hypervigilance. The article outlines six strategies to cope with secondary traumatic stress.
Early Childhood adversities linked to health problems in tweens, teens, MedicalXpress.com – A study conducted by the Washington University Medical School in St. Louis has found that children can experience physical and mental health problems from exposure to psychosocial “toxins” also known as Adverse Childhood Experiences. The inferior frontal gyrus, a brain structure involved in regulating emotions and decision-making, is smaller in children who have more adverse experiences. Children who had multiple adverse experiences were 15% more likely to develop severe depression by their early teen years and 25% more likely to have physical health problems like asthma and gastrointestinal disorders.
You Can Become More Resilient, Even if You Grew Up With Emotional Neglect, PyschCentral.com -- The author describes the three traits of resiliency to be commitment, control, and challenge. These traits are difficult for individuals who grew up with Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN). The author further describes four ways to cultivate resiliency, especially for those who grew up with CEN.
Disaster Distress Helpline, SAMHSA.gov – SAMHSA offers a 24/7, 365-day-a-year Disaster Distress Helpline for crisis counselling and support for individual experiencing emotional distressed because of natural or man-made disasters. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
Disaster-Specific Resources, SAMHSA.gov – SAMHSA offers a number of different resources presenting information specific to particular kinds of disasters while also including general preparedness and response information.
Incidence of Mass Violence, SAMHSA.gov – This SAMHSA tool discusses incidence of mass violence but more specifically, where to seek help and who is at risk for emotional distress.
How Trauma and Resilience Cross Generations, OnBeing.org – Rachel Yehuda, an expert in understanding the biological transmission of stress and trauma across generations. She has studied children of Holocaust survivors and pregnant women who survived the 9/11 attacks and was interviewed on her work. The transcript of her interview details Dr. Yehuda’s research on historical trauma’s biological impacts.
An Asteroid Did Not Fall From the Sky, AcesConnection.com—Virtually all mass murderers, prison inmates, rapists and other violent criminals grew up in homes with child abuse, domestic violence, and drug and/or alcohol use. Although almost every mass murderer and terrorist has a high ACE score, mitigating factors such as strong social support, mentorship, and mental health support can help individuals with high ACE scores with the risk of unhealthy outcomes. The author analyzes Stephen Paddock, the Las Vegas shooter who killed 58 people, as having an ACE score of at least 6 after suffering physical abuse from his brother, parental divorce, and an incarcerated and mentally ill father. If the hyperlink does not work, please copy and paste this link in your browser http://www.acesconnection.com/blog/an-asteroid-did-not-fall-from-the-sky
Traumatic Experiences Widespread Among U.S. Young, New Data Show, AcesConnection.com-- New national data show that at least 38 percent of children in every state have had at least one ACE, such as the death or incarceration of a parent, witnessing or being a victim of violence, or living with someone who has been suicidal or had a drug or alcohol problem. In 16 states, at least 25 percent of children have had two or more ACEs. Findings come from data in the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health and an analysis conducted by the Child & Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and are being released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in collaboration with CAHMI. If the hyperlink does not work, please copy and paste this link in your browser http://www.acesconnection.com/blog/traumatic-experiences-widespread-among-u-s-youth-new-data-show
Suicide and Depression Awareness for Students, LearnPscychology.org – The Suicide Prevention Resource Tool includes resources to understanding mental health, depression and suicide, warning signs of suicide, outside organizations devoted to suicide prevention as well as useful infographics on risk factors and myths about suicide. This engaging tool is a user-friendly platform discussing suicide prevention.
Student Mental Health: A guide to identifying disorders and promoting wellness, AffordableCollegesOnline.org – The Student Mental Health Resource discusses the top mental health concerns faced by students and potential university resources to manage depression, anxiety and stress, alcohol and drug abuse, ADHD, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, OCD, and PTSD. Each category is included with a description and online and on campus resources.
Impact of Cyberbullying: Addressing the needs of Children and Youth, SAMHSA – This one-hour webcast outlines the causes, repercussions, and impacts of cyberbullying, which is bullying that takes place on electronic technology. Children who are cyberbullied are more likely to have low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, and skip school while the bullies are more likely to experience depression, ADD, or anxiety. Bullies most often know their victims, though they can be anonymous. The webcast includes a discussion with 3 experts: Ingrid Donato, Chief of Mental Health Promotion at SAMHSA, Zach Marks, founder of GROM Social, a protected and monitored social media site for kids, and Dr. Dorothy Espelage, Professor of Psychology at The University of Florida.
Are You at Risk for Secondary Traumatic Stress?, Edutopia.org – Any professional who listens to children recount traumatic events is at risk for secondary traumatic stress, which decreases professional effectiveness and overall quality of life with symptoms such as disconnection, chronic exhaustion, cynicism, hopelessness, and hypervigilance. The article outlines six strategies to cope with secondary traumatic stress.
Early Childhood adversities linked to health problems in tweens, teens, MedicalXpress.com – A study conducted by the Washington University Medical School in St. Louis has found that children can experience physical and mental health problems from exposure to psychosocial “toxins” also known as Adverse Childhood Experiences. The inferior frontal gyrus, a brain structure involved in regulating emotions and decision-making, is smaller in children who have more adverse experiences. Children who had multiple adverse experiences were 15% more likely to develop severe depression by their early teen years and 25% more likely to have physical health problems like asthma and gastrointestinal disorders.
You Can Become More Resilient, Even if You Grew Up With Emotional Neglect, PyschCentral.com -- The author describes the three traits of resiliency to be commitment, control, and challenge. These traits are difficult for individuals who grew up with Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN). The author further describes four ways to cultivate resiliency, especially for those who grew up with CEN.
Disaster Distress Helpline, SAMHSA.gov – SAMHSA offers a 24/7, 365-day-a-year Disaster Distress Helpline for crisis counselling and support for individual experiencing emotional distressed because of natural or man-made disasters. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
Disaster-Specific Resources, SAMHSA.gov – SAMHSA offers a number of different resources presenting information specific to particular kinds of disasters while also including general preparedness and response information.
Incidence of Mass Violence, SAMHSA.gov – This SAMHSA tool discusses incidence of mass violence but more specifically, where to seek help and who is at risk for emotional distress.
How severe, ongoing stress can affect a child’s brain, WWLTV.com: This article highlights the programs at Verner Center for Early Learning, that aim to help children cope with toxic stress. Studies have found that toxic stress can be equally as damaging to a child as severe illness.
Survey finds abused kids more likely to use drugs than peers, TheColumbian.com: A statewide survey in Clark County, Washington, found that teens who were exposed to trauma, were more likely to use drugs, such as marijuana and cigarettes. While use of these was down overall, those who continued to use were often from abusive households. The article highlights some of the reasons why there is this correlation.
The Opioid Epidemic Is Literally Changing Kids’ Brains, MotherJones.com: This interview, conducted with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, a San Francisco pediatrician, looks at the effects of opioid epidemic on child development. Dr. Burke Harris has found that child development is impaired when raised in an environment where caregivers are opioid addicts.
Opioid epidemic is traumatizing our children, IndyStar.com: This article written for an Indianapolis newspaper, summarizes the importance of the ACE study. Indiana has the nation’s greatest percentage increase in the number of children placed in foster care, many due to abuse or neglect. The article describes some programs being used in the state to address ACEs, and a request for professionals to read the ACE study to improve support.
New psychology study finds adverse childhood experiences transfer from one generation to the next, UCalgary.ca: A new study finds that mother’s early history, facing four or more ACEs before the age of 18, leads to an increase chance of pregnancy and postpartum problems. These health risks then can impact the infant’s health and development. In order to break the cycle, there needs to be dialogues and supportive environments to protect the health of mothers, children, and future generations.
The Little Understood Mental-Health Effects of Racial Trauma, NYMag.com: Racial Trauma, a psychological phenomenon similar to PTSD, is psychological symptoms as a result of repeated exposure to racism or discrimination. This article highlights the causes and effects of racial trauma, and the importance of studying and acknowledging it, particularly now in the era of racialized police shootings.
Developing Resilience in Children, CentreDaily.com – This opinion piece describes modern challenges facing youth and young adults regarding mental health, and offers a definition for resilience. The article suggests that resilience is key for adapting to adversity trauma, and significant sources of stress.
Call to Action: Creating Cycles of Opportunity through ACEs Screening, CommunityCatalyst.org – This call to action emphasizes the health disparities and health inequity within many Black communities, and suggests that a validated ACEs screening tool would fill the need for a strategic approach that identifies and provides social services to at-risk families in order to build supportive caregiver relationships.
Your Baby’s Brain May Already Hold Signs of Anxiety and Depression, TheStir.CafeMom.com – This article discusses a recent study from the Washington University School of Medicine that found patterns in some children’s brains from birth that are linked to an increased likeliness of negative mental health outcomes later in life including separation anxiety, anxiety, and depression.
The Devastating, Long-Term Toll Violence Takes on Chicago Kids, Chicagoist.com – This article describes the harmful impact of witnessing and experiencing violence on children and youth in Chicago, Illinois. It also notes new legislation, The Trauma Informed Care for Children and Families Act, from Senator Dick Durban and US Rep. Danny Davis in collaboration with the Illinois health community.
Therapy Used for U.S. Veterans Finds Success Among Traumatized Immigrants, CenterForHealthJournalism.org – This article discusses the benefits of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for immigrants who have experienced trauma. It highlights unmet mental health needs of some undocumented immigrant communities and notes current efforts to create healing spaces, such as the UndocuHealing Project, for undocumented people in the United States.
Now Is the Time, We Can’t Wait Until They Fall, ACEsConnection.com – This article reviews the “Building Resilience” event at Hagerstown Community College in Maryland. During the event, attendees view the documentary “Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope” and heard presentations about adversity and the implications of the relationship between race and the social services system and the juvenile justice system. If the hyperlink does not work, please copy and paste the following into your browser: http://www.acesconnection.com/blog/now-is-the-time-we-can-t-wait-until-they-fall
Issue Brief 52- Supporting Young Children Who Experience Trauma, CHDI.orh – This issue brief comes from the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut, Inc. It details the effects of trauma on young children and the path towards a trauma-informed early childhood system. It describes CHDI grant recipient The Early Childhood Trauma Collaborative, and offers recommendations and next steps for the field of childhood trauma and welfare.
Self-Help Isn’t Enough for Native Women, IndianCountryMediaNetwork.com – Terese Mailhot reflects on her experience as a Native woman seeking mental health care from white health care providers, and how her treatment is affected by those providers’ lack of understanding in regards to the historical and cultural context of her life.
Can a Difficult Childhood Enhance Cognition, TheAtlantic.com – This article highlights new research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 2015, in which researchers found that participants with unpredictable childhoods performed better in attention-shifting tasks and experienced other boosts in types of thinking.
Study Finds First Molecular Genetic Evidence of PTSD Heritability, Harvard.edu – This report describes a new study from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium that found molecular evidence that genetics play a role in an individual’s risk of experiencing PTSD. The report highlights findings and links to the online publication of the study.
What Are the Differences Between Trauma and Addiction, HuffingtonPost.com – This article describes the link between trauma and addiction, and highlights relevant research that supports this link. The definition of trauma is discussed in multiple contexts and the author calls for the integration of substance abuse, mental health, and chronic treatment in the field of behavioral health.
Patient Preferences for Discussing Childhood Trauma in Primary Care, PubMed.gov – This cross-sectional study assessed a predominantly Latino population of patients regarding their preferences for discussing their traumatic experiences and PTSD in clinical settings. Researchers found that screening was acceptable to most primary care patients regardless of trauma exposure or positive PTSD screening.
How Childhood Stress Can Knock 20 Years Off Your Life, TheGuardian.com – This article describes James Redford’s new film, “Resilience,” which aims to define and focus on what true resilience is. When Redford learned about the ACEs study from a colleague, he became very interested in disseminating messages about the effects of trauma, and the need to reject the existing cultural “buck up” mentality.
Resource Guide to Trauma-Informed Human Services, ACF.HHS.gov – The Administration for Children and Families, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Administration for Community Living, the Offices of the Assistant Secretary for Health and the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at HHS have worked together to develop this Guide to Trauma-Informed Human Services. The guide is intended to provide an introduction to the topic of trauma, a discussion of why understanding and addressing trauma is important for human services programs, and “road map” to find relevant resources.
ACL Guidance to the Aging Services Network: Outreach and Service Provision to Holocaust Survivors, ACL.gov – Guidance on promising practices for conducting outreach and service provisions to the Holocaust population. ACL created this guidance as a vehicle by which the Aging Services Network can build stronger connections to organizations and stakeholders providing care to Holocaust survivors, to enhance services capacity and quality. The guidance examines the unique needs and challenges of serving Holocaust survivors, with a particular focus on mental and physical health, nutrition, transportation, caregiver support, outreach, legal and ombudsman services, with a foundation in person-centered, trauma-informed approaches.
Shooting, gang violence exposure leads to PTSD, ScienceDaily.com – According to a study that examined a disadvantaged community in Chicago, the violence that women in disadvantaged neighborhoods experience and witness can result in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and full diagnoses.
Can Understanding Neurobiology Provide a Better Approach to Working with Abuse Survivors? Rewire.news – One in three women and one in four men have been victims of physical abuse by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. Given the frequency of incidents, then, how can health-care professionals, advocates, and attorney’s best work with domestic violence survivors? Come professors say that understanding neurobiology – how the nervous system processes and mediates behavior – can help them do so by connecting the dots between trauma, mental health, and domestic violence.
For Growing Number Of Kids Shot In Chicago, The Trauma Never Ends, DNAInfo.com – At least two dozen children 13 or younger have been shot this year in the city. Even for those who survive, shootings have a lasting impact. The violence can lead to long-term mental and physical health problems for those wounded by gunfire and those who are only exposed to the violence.
4 Ways Trauma Can Complicate Mental Health Treatment, PsychCentral.com – This article discusses the way an individual’s perception of their experiences may lead to symptoms of trauma and how trauma and psychological symptoms may be connected. The four arguments are that PTSD can exaggerate symptoms of other mental health challenges, anxiety can trigger symptoms of trauma, patients may be vulnerable to misdiagnosis, and that some symptoms are not related to a traumatic past.
2000 people spoke about how childhood trauma affected their lives and it makes disturbing reading. A landmark Welsh study has revealed the extent to which traumatic experiences - from divorce to abuse - affect a child's physical and mental development.According to this study being exposed to difficult experiences as a young person alters how children’s brains grow and how their immune and hormone systems develop. Additionally, cancer, heart disease, mental illness, drug use, smoking, binge drinking and criminality in adulthood can all develop as a result..
ACEs articles by category Oct 18, 2016 – Wisconsin Dept of Health Services, ACEsConnection.com – Scott Web, from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, has provided a comprehensive list of articles about ACEs covering Adversity Impact; Brain and Biology; Bullying; Courts, Juvenile Justice, Corrections, and Probation; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; Resilience; Schools; Substance Use Disorder; and Trauma-Informed Care. To access this resource copy and paste the following link into your browser http://www.acesconnection.com/blog/a-month-of-aces-articles-by-category-wisconsin-dept-of-health-services
ACEs Connection. The ACEs Connection is a community practice network. This practice network brings together members to share information on how to use trauma-informed practices to prevent ACEs & further trauma, and to increase resilience.
ACEs: We need to communicate in a way that reaches all people. This blog suggests that Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACES) would make better sense if it was addressed on an individual level. Government agencies typically concentrate on non-narrative communications, that is, arguments focusing on logic, science and research and avoiding the personal story. Adding a personal narrative however allows us to appeal to people on multiple levels. It gives us a chance to show how the desire to take personal responsibility can be frustrated by the lack of reasonable access and opportunity.
Adding Layers to the ACE Pyramid-What Do You Think? The RYSE Youth Center in California is looking for opinions about their new conceptualization of the ACE Pyramid. Last year, the RYSE youth center In California did a listening campaign with its youth, and earlier this year, staff members began talking about the findings and sharing them with activists, researchers, funders, etc. They decided to use the ACEs pyramid to leverage the existing science in communicating their major findings: that in helping young people, especially young people of color, there’s only so much that an organization like RYSE can do. It requires transformation at systems and community levels. The two new layers of the ACE pyramid – social conditions/local context and generational embodiment/historical trauma -- address that.
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study is one of the largest investigations ever conducted to assess associations between childhood maltreatment and later-life health and well-being. The study is an ongoing collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente's Health Appraisal Clinic in San Diego. More than 17,000 Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) members undergoing a comprehensive physical examination chose to provide detailed information about their childhood experience of abuse, neglect, and family dysfunction. To date, more than 50 scientific articles have been published and more than 100 conference and workshop presentations have been made.
Adverse Childhood Experiences: Overcoming ACEs in Alaska. This website provides many resources related to ACEs in addition to the 2013 report based on the Alaska Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The report summarizes medical research and compares Alaska with other states. The report also discusses social and economic impacts, and strategies to reduce harm.
The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study website provides background information about the ACE study, an ACE score calculator, publications, answers to frequently asked questions and a way to connect to others.
Adverse Child Experiences (ACE) score calculator. The ACE Score attributes one point for each category of exposure to child abuse and/or neglect. Add up the points for a Score of 0 to 10. The higher the score, the greater the exposure, and therefore the greater the risk of negative consequences. These consequences are discussed throughout the publications also available for download from the site.
ACES Too High. Aces Too High is a news site that reports on research about adverse childhood experiences, including developments in epidemiology, neurobiology, and the biomedical and epigenetic consequences of toxic stress. News on how people, organizations, agencies and communities are implementing practices based on the research are highlighted. This includes developments in education, juvenile justice, criminal justice, public health, medicine, mental health, social services, and cities, counties and states.
The Anna Institute. The Anna Institute celebrates and honors the life of Anna Caroline Jennings, by using her artwork and life experience to educate others on the hidden epidemic of childhood trauma and its horrific lifelong impact on society and paths to prevention and healing. This website provides links to articles, an art gallery, information about the ACE study, and more.
At-risk girls prone to social withdrawal before acting out through crime. This article discussed a recent study published in The Journal of Interpersonal Violence, which found that girls who experience physical abuse as children tend to internalize their feelings and are often quiet and withdrawn, whereas abused boys more often tend to act out aggressively, getting into fights and trouble at school. Surprisingly, it was the girls who were withdrawn as children who were most likely later to exhibit antisocial behavior — reporting a pattern of abusive relationships and engaging in criminal activity — as adults.
Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced and Underprotected. This report is based on a new review of national data and personal interviews with young women in Boston and New York. According to recent data from the U.S. Department of Education cited in the report, nationally black girls were suspended six times more than white girls, while black boys were suspended three times as often as white boys. Available on this website is the report, the executive summary, and a Black Girls Matter: Social Media Guide, which provides images, tweets, and key messages for use in promoting the basic point that Black Girls Matter.
Bullied Kids May Have Double the Risk of Being Overweight at 18, PsychCentral.com – This report is based on a new review of national data and personal interviews with young women in Boston and New York. According to recent data from the U.S. Department of Education cited in the report, nationally black girls were suspended six times more than white girls, while black boys were suspended three times as often as white boys. Available on this website is the report, the executive summary, and a Black Girls Matter: Social Media Guide, which provides images, tweets, and key messages for use in promoting the basic point that Black Girls Matter.
Can Trauma be Passed on Through our DNA? UpLiftConnect.com. An article by Jonathan Davis exploring the emerging field of epigenetics as it relates to trauma being passed down to future generations through our genes. He explores how the way we live our lives can change the quality of our genes both positively or negatively including what are passed on to the next generation.
Center for Youth Wellness. The Center for Youth Wellness is part of a national effort to revolutionize pediatric medicine and transform the way society responds to kids exposed to significant adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress. Led by founder and CEO Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, the Center for Youth Wellness is a health organization within a pediatric home that serves children and families in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco. They were created to respond to an urgent public health issue: early adversity harms the developing brains and bodies of children.
The Child Study Center, NYU Langone Medical Center. The Trauma and Resilience Research Program at the NYU Child Study Center is a national leader in the study and treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related disorders among children, adults and families. Its mission is to develop effective intervention and prevention programs for those who are exposed to traumatic events and to understand the role of individual resiliency and community support in the process of recovery.
Children of Violence. The psychological toll of violence is an issue confronting young people across the city of Baltimore, and it demands a citywide response.
Cortisol levels in children's hair may reveal future mental health risk. Australian researchers found the greater number of traumatic events a child had experienced, the higher the hair cortisol concentrations. Hair samples may help determine the risk of a child developing mental and other chronic illnesses later in their life, research led by the University of Melbourne has found. Cortisol is known as the “stress hormone” because it is released in response to acute stress to help the body react and cope. The greater number of traumatic events a child had experienced, such as divorce, injury, moving house, severe illness or the death of a family member, the higher the hair cortisol concentrations were, the researchers found.
Ending Domestic Violence: Witnessing Domestic Violence Can Have Lasting Effects. Toxic stress comes from chronic ongoing traumas, such as witnessing family violence and experiencing neglect. There is a growing amount of research indicating that early life experiences play a significant role in shaping an individual's health trajectory.
Explaining the Brain to Children and Adolescents. Dr. Allison Sampson Jackson draws from Dr. Dan Siegel, the Hawn Foundation, Joseph LeDoux and many others who have helped to understand the importance of knowing and sharing with others the ways in which the “upstairs” and “downstairs” brain impact our ability to learn and change behavior. This video combines the learning from these 3 sources to demonstrate in “layman’s” terms how to help ourselves, teens, and young children understand their upstairs and downstairs brains and what happens when we experience a threat. Dr. Jackson also highlights how calming strategies, such as mindfulness, impact the different parts of the brain.
Facts on Traumatic Stress and Children with Developmental Disabilities. (PDF, 130KB). National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). Adapted Trauma Treatment Standards Work Group. 2004. This document highlights facts on traumatic stress in children with developmental disabilities, including incidence of trauma, special characteristics of the population that influence trauma, possible reasons of higher incidence of mental illness, suggestions for modifying evaluation and therapy for this population, special diagnostic considerations, and suggestions for therapy.
Family Wellness Warriors Initiative (FWWI). The Family Wellness Warriors Initiative (FWWI) seeks to address the devastating problems of domestic violence, abuse, and neglect in the Alaska Native community. Its purpose is to equip organizations and individuals to effectively address the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical effects of domestic violence, abuse, and neglect. The Family Wellness Warriors Initiative targets the Alaska Native and American Indian populations of Alaska, but all individuals, regardless of race, gender, or religion are encouraged to apply for our events.
Film “Resilience – The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope”. This documentary looks at the birth of the ACE Study and how it’s spawned a movement across the U.S. It focuses on the work of pediatricians, therapists, educators and communities. It features interviews with several leaders in the ACE movement nationally and in communities, including Laura Lawrence and Laura Porter, and Dr. Robert Anda, who describe an impact of adverse childhood experiences on development of the children’s’ brains and their health later in the adulthood. “Resilience” chronicles the promising beginnings of a national movement to prevent childhood trauma, treat toxic stress, and greatly improve the health of future generations.
Healing Neen – feature length. After surviving a childhood of abuse and neglect, Tonier “Neen” Cain lived on the streets for two nightmarish decades, where she endured unrelenting violence, hunger and despair while racking up 66 criminal convictions related to her addiction. Incarcerated and pregnant in 2004, treatment for her lifetime of trauma offered her a way out... and up. Her story illustrates the consequences that untreated trauma has on individuals and society at-large, including mental health problems, addiction, homelessness and incarceration. Today, she is a nationally renowned speaker and educator on the devastation of trauma and the hope of recovery.
How Brains are Built: The Core Story of Brain Development - The Alberta Family Wellness Initiative (AFWI), part of the Norlien Foundation, in October of 2013 launched this animated video which presents the core story of brain development in an accessible and visually engaging format for public audiences. The AFWI acknowledges considerable input from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child and the FrameWorks Institute. Using metaphors developed by FrameWorks and tested with audiences both in the US and in Alberta, “How Brains are Built” infuses core story concepts with energy, accessibility, and high fidelity to the science.
Nadine Burke Harris: How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime
Childhood trauma isn't something you just get over as you grow up. Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect, and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues has real, tangible effects on the development of the brain. This unfolds across a lifetime, to the point where those who've experienced high levels of trauma are at triple the risk for heart disease and lung cancer. An impassioned plea for pediatric medicine to confront the prevention and treatment of trauma, head-on.
NEAR@Home Toolkit: A Guided Process to Talk about Trauma and Resilience in Home Visiting. Home visitors are interested in bringing information about ACEs to families but worry about causing harm. The NEAR@Home toolkit addresses these concerns. This training manual created by Thrive Washington provides guided processes to help you learn and practice language and strategies to safely and effectively talk about the trauma of ACEs. The toolkit emphasizes safety and reflective support for the home visitor as a critical element in this process. Using this process, home visitors will build skills in the therapeutic use of self and discover increased compassion, patience, and stamina in their work with families.
Neurochemical Imbalance Linked with Susceptibility to PTSD. New research finds that an imbalance between two neurochemical systems in the brain is linked to posttraumatic stress disorder with the greater the imbalance, the more serious the symptoms.In the new study, researchers discovered people with PTSD have an imbalance between two neurochemical signaling systems of the brain, serotonin, and substance P. Thus restoring the balance between the serotonin and substance P systems could become a new treatment strategy for individuals suffering from traumatic incidents.
Racing ACEs gathering and reflection: If it’s not racially just, it’s not trauma-informed, ACEsConnection.com – Racing ACEs acknowledges that there is an intersection between adverse childhood experiences and historical trauma and oppression. To access this resource copy and paste the following link into your browser http://www.acesconnection.com/blog/racing-aces-gathering-and-reflection-if-it-s-not-racially-just-it-s-not-trauma-informed
SAMHSA – HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions: Trauma. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA)-Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) Center for Integrated Health Solutions provides webinars and resources to help the general public understand what is trauma and how it can impact an individual.
The Second Assault. Victims of childhood sexual abuse are far more likely to become obese adults. New research shows that early trauma is so damaging that it can disrupt a person’s entire psychology and metabolism. An analysis of 57,000 women found that those who experienced physical or sexual abuse as children were twice as likely to be addicted to food. Women actually said they felt more physically imposing when they were bigger, which would help them ward off potential sexual advances from men.
Strike a Pose to Build Confidence. Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how “power posing” — standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident — can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success. This TED talk provides helpful suggestions!
The Science of Suffering: Kids are inheriting their parents’ trauma. Can science stop it? New Republic. November 16, 2014. This article highlights the trauma experienced by refuges, holocaust survivors, Native Americans, and other populations, and how their trauma has been passed on to the second generation. The article summarizes research that provides the scientific basis for this “transmission” of trauma and how it can help understand how trauma is passed on and why some individuals are more resilient than others.
Through the Eyes: Children, Violence, and Trauma. This video discusses how violence and trauma affect children, including the serious and long-lasting consequences for their physical and mental health; signs that a child may be exposed to violence or trauma; and the staggering cost of child maltreatment to families, communities, and the Nation. Victims lend their voices to this video to provide first-hand accounts of how their exposure to violence as children affected them.
Trauma, Change and Resilience. In this TEDx Talk, Dr. Megan McElheran describes the changes that happen when an individual has a traumatic experience. She explores the concept of a pre-trauma world view and a post trauma world view with its shift in thinking, disconnection, and isolation as a means of control. She further explains the antidote to this isolation is re-engagement with connection, transformation, and finally healing.
Trauma Measures Review Database. NCTSN. Consult the NCTSN database of reviews of tools that measure children's experiences of trauma, their reactions to it, and other mental health and trauma-related issues.
The Truth About ACEs. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is part of a growing network of leaders working to increase awareness and understanding of the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the need to develop effective innovative interventions. Learn more about ACEs and share the infographic with others.
Who Needs to Pay Attention to the ACE Study? This blog from the Georgetown University National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health provides background on the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study and recent publications about why it is important and what the implications are.
Why Social and Emotional Skill Building in Early Childhood Matters. Research shows that a firm foundation of social and emotional skills sets the stage for academic and even career achievement. But in one national survey of 3,600 kindergarten teachers, 20 percent reported that at least half of the class did not have the social skills necessary for school success.
Tips for Survivors of a Disaster or Other Traumatic Event: Coping with Retraumatization, SAMHSA.gov – Retraumatization is reliving stress reactions from a traumatic even when faced with a new and similar incident. This tip sheet details signs and symptoms of retraumatization as well as the benefits of health and guidance on management. The document outlines triggering events and risk factors for retraumatization and then further details symptoms, dividing them into thoughts, physical signs, behaviors, and emotions. Finally, the sheet has a list of helpful resource such as hotlines, treatment locators, and other trauma-related resources.
Understanding and Addressing Trauma and Child Sex Trafficking, NCTSN.org – Child sex trafficking is a severe form of trauma that has long-term and immediate consequences. Over one million children are victims of commercial sex exploitation and this Policy Brief defines child sex trafficking and outlines the risks, consequences, and what can be done about child sex trafficking.
Understanding Neurobiology of Psychological Trauma, Pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu – The downloadable document outlines the effects of psychological trauma on neurobiology. Chronic stress or early life adversity during childhood shows a correlation with physical and mental health difficulties later in life. The article discusses topics like neuroplasticity and adaptive coping strategies, threat assessment system for survival, and tips for strengthening resilience and wellness practices.
Trinka and Sam: The Big Fire, NCTSN.org – This children’s story was created for children who have experienced large-scale fires. This resource includes a parents’ guide at the end of the book to help better understand the impacts of large-scale fires on children and their reactions to these events. Children are also able to color in the pages.
Talking to children about the Shooting, NCTSN,org—The National Child Traumatic Stress Network developed a set of nine tips for taking to children who are struggling with their thoughts and feelings after a shooting.
Trinka and Sam: The Big Fire, NCTSN.org – This children’s story was created for children who have experienced large-scale fires. This resource includes a parents’ guide at the end of the book to help better understand the impacts of large-scale fires on children and their reactions to these events. Children are also able to color in the pages.
Talking to children about the Shooting, NCTSN,org—The National Child Traumatic Stress Network developed a set of nine tips for taking to children who are struggling with their thoughts and feelings after a shooting.
What happened? How adverse childhood experience affects your clients’ health, CCMCertification.org – Asking the right questions is at the heart of trauma-informed care. Replacing “What’s wrong with you?” with “What happened to you?” can change not only the conversation and the relationship with a new patient or client; it can change the trajectory of a person’s life, Allison Sampson-Jackson, PhD, LCSW, LICSW, CSTOP explains in this issue brief from the Commission for the Case Manager Certification. She discusses trauma-informed care, explains the background and use of the Adverse Childhood Experiences survey, and offers practical guidance and resources to case managers and other health care professionals.
Trauma Informed Care: Pediatric/Children’s Disaster Resilience Group Call, JBSInternational.com – This presentation provides general information about the impact of trauma at the individual and systemic level. It also provides information about evidence based practices for working with individuals who have experienced trauma and demonstrated how these practices can be applied following an environmental or man-made disaster.
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. Ness CD (2009). (PDF, 839KB). This brief discusses important aspects of the ACE study, including the definition of an ACE, how to calculate your ACE score, health conditions that are tied to ACE exposure, and how to address ACEs in child-serving systems.
Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Questionnaire. (PDF, 8KB). This 10-item questionnaire was used to help study participants determine their ACE score. It has since been translated into French, German, Icelandic, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish.
Adverse Childhood Experiences – Looking at how ACEs affect our Lives & Society (CDC) (Infographic, PDF, 7MB). The infographic shows how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) affect an individual’s life. From the data gathered, visual information about participant gender, race, age, education, and commonality are provided. Visuals on how ACEs affect health and society are provided.
Adverse Childhood Experiences in NSCAW. National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being Research Brief. (PDF, 428KB). No. 20. OPRE Report #2013-26. Stambaugh LF et al. National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect. United States. Administration for Children and Families. Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation. 2013. This brief uses data from the second cohort of National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II) to examine the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences in a nationally representative study of children reported for maltreatment to the child welfare system CWS.
Adverse Childhood Experiences, Alcoholic Parents, and Later Risk of Alcoholism and Depression. (PDF, 306.72KB). Anda RF et al., Psychiatric Services. 2002;53:1001-1009. The study examined how growing up with alcoholic parents and having adverse childhood experiences are related to the risk of alcoholism and depression in adulthood. The study found that children in alcoholic households are more likely to have adverse experiences. The risk of alcoholism and depression in adulthood increases as the number of reported adverse experiences increases regardless of parental alcohol abuse.
The Amazing Brain: Trauma and the Potential for Healing. (PDF, 1MB). Linda Burgess Chamberlain for the Institute for Safe Families. This infographic makes 5 main points: the child adapts to constant trauma, trauma interferes with learning, PTSD affects brain development, trauma leads to other health problems, and healthy relationships with caring adults can protect children from the effects of trauma.
Behavioral control blunts reactions to contemporaneous and future adverse events: Medial prefrontal cortex plasticity and a corticostriatal network. Maier S.F. 2014. Neurobiology of Stress. Recently, it has become clear that the experience of behavioral control over adverse events produces enduring changes that reduce the effects of subsequent negative events, even if they are uncontrollable and quite different from the original event controlled. This review focuses on the mechanism by which control both limits the impact of the stressor being experienced and produces enduring, trans-situational “immunization”. Importantly, the joint occurrence of control and adverse events seems to produce enduring plastic changes in the topedown inhibitory mPFC system such that this system is now activated by later adverse events even if they are uncontrollable, thereby reducing the impact of these events. Other issues are discussed that include a) whether other processes such as safety signals and exercise, that lead to resistance/resilience, also use the mPFC circuitry or do so in other ways; b) whether control has similar effects and neural mediation in humans, and c) the relationship of this work to clinical phenomena.
Bruce Perry on Helping Children Recover from Trauma. September 5, 2013. This webinar was provided by the National Council for Behavioral Health. In this webinar, Dr. Perry discusses how trauma affects a young child’s brain neurodevelopment.
Childhood maltreatment is associated with altered fear circuitry and increased internalizing symptoms by late adolescence. (PDF, 686KB). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Herringa RJ, Birn RM, Ruttle PL, Burghy CA, Stodola DE, Davidson RJ, et al. (2013). This study shows that maltreatment predicts lower prefrontal–hippocampal connectivity in females and males but lower prefrontal–amygdala connectivity only in females. Altered connectivity is shown to mediate the development of internalizing symptoms. The results highlight the importance of fronto–hippocampal connectivity for both sexes in internalizing symptoms following maltreatment. The additional impact on fronto–amygdala connectivity in females may help explain their higher risk for anxiety and depression.
Childhood maltreatment is associated with distinct genomic and epigenetic profiles in posttraumatic stress disorder. (PDF, 905KB). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Mehta D, Klengel T, Conneely KN, Smith AK, Altmann A, Pace TW, et al. (2013). This article discusses how epigenetic marks can be shaped by adverse childhood experiences. Epigenetics describes changes that occur in gene expression not because of changes in DNA sequence but because of other causes, such as the environment.
Conversations about Historical Trauma: Part One, NCTSN.org. The impact of historical trauma in tribal communities in the United States runs deep. Health care providers must understand the complexity of multigenerational trauma in order to properly serve these different populations to improve health outcomes. Decisions about possible solutions must include the tribes and incorporate their practices for processing trauma.
Conversations about Historical Trauma: Part Two, NCTSN.org. Response to trauma on an individual level is fairly universal, but the addition of historical trauma can lead to different responses to trauma. The concept of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome applies the effect of historical trauma directly to the descendants of enslaved Africans. Health care providers must consider the lens through which patients are seeing the world in order to serve them most effectively.
Conversations about Historical Trauma: Part Three, NCTSN.org. Consideration of the historical trauma present in later generations of Jewish, Japanese, Hawaiian, and Pacific Island people is important for understanding the way that they may cope with trauma in the present. Events that happen in the present, like response to the September 11 attacks may reawaken past wrongs done to the ancestors of these communities. It is essential that people understand what trauma is so that they can seek out resources to better cope with it.
The Effects of Childhood Stress on Health Across the Lifespan. (PDF, 1MB). CDC 2008. This report documents the ways that stress can affect a child’s physical and mental health. Strategies to screen, assess, and treat toxic stress in children are also presented.
Improving Care for Children Through Trauma Screening. (PDF, 359KB). Issue Brief No. 31, May 8, 2014. Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut, Inc. This issue brief provides information about the prevalence of child trauma, screening for trauma, and addressing the consequences of trauma. Best practices are highlighted throughout the document.
Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5). (PDF, 30KB). The Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5) is a self-report measure designed to screen for potentially traumatic events in a respondent's lifetime. The LEC-5 assesses exposure to 16 events known to potentially result in PTSD or distress and includes one additional item assessing any other extraordinarily stressful event not captured in the first 16 items.
Parents’ Pasts and Families’ Futures – Using Family Assessments to Inform Perspectives on Reasonable Efforts and Reunification. Smithgall et al., 2012. This report describes the study conducted in partnership between the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau. The study explores the relationship between parents’ childhood experiences and their current functioning as well as what caseworkers and clinicians see as the initial prognosis for these families and the reunification and reentry outcomes for their children.
Prevention of Sexual Abuse in Children. (PDF, 819KB). In this webinar, Dr. David Finkelhor discusses a devastating impact of sexual abuse on young victims and how the violent or sexual victimization of children can often lead to an intergenerational cycle of violence and abuse. The uncertainty about the meaning of this trend underscores how much remains to be accomplished in terms of drawing lessons from past experience to determine future policy and prevention of sexual abuse of children.
Recognizing resilience: Learning from the effects of stress on the brain. McEven, B.S., Gray, J.D., & Nasca, C. 2014. Neurobiology of Stress. As the central organ of stress and adaptation to stressors, the brain plays a pivotal role in behavioral and physiological responses that may lead to successful adaptation or to pathophysiology and mental and physical disease. In this context, resilience can be defined as “achieving a positive outcome in the face of adversity”. The goal is to recognize those biological changes that underlie flexible adaptability, and to recognize gene pathways, epigenetic factors and structural changes that indicate lack of resilience leading to negative outcomes, particularly when the individual is challenged by new circumstances. Early life experiences determine individual differences in such capabilities via epigenetic pathways and laying down of brain architecture that determine the later capacity for flexible adaptation or the lack thereof. Reactivation of such plasticity in individuals lacking such resilience is a new challenge for research and practical application. Finally, sex differences in the plasticity of the brain are often overlooked and must be more fully investigated.
Responding to Childhood Trauma: The Promise and Practice of Trauma Informed Care. (PDF, 369KB). Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. February 2006. This report provides information about the challenges of child trauma and how to address those challenges through trauma-informed care. Information about the characteristics of the child, trauma exposure, risk and protective factors, and consequences are discussed. The report also highlights trauma-informed care components, strength-based approaches, use of the public health model, and policy issues.
Review of Child and Adolescent Trauma Screening Tools. (PDF, 232KB). Crandal B. & Conradi L. (2013). Review of Child and Adolescent Trauma Screening Tools. San Diego, CA: Rady Children's Hospital, Chadwick Center for Children and Families.
Self-Regulation and Toxic Stress: A Review of Ecological, Biological, and Developmental Studies of Self-Regulation and Stress (1MB). Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation. February 2015. This is the second in a series of four inter-related reports titled Self-Regulation and Toxic Stress. The first report, Foundations for Understanding Self-Regulation from an Applied Developmental Perspective provides a comprehensive framework for understanding self-regulation in context, using a theoretical model that reflects the influence of biology, caregiving, and the environment on the development of self-regulation. This second report, A Review of Ecological, Biological, and Developmental Studies of Self-Regulation and Stress builds on the theoretical framework described in the earlier report. It reviews literature on the impact of stress on self-regulation development, addressing questions such as how lasting these effects may be, if there are particular periods of development that are more sensitive to its effects, and how individual differences moderate the impact of stress on self-regulation. The paper also examines data on environmental and contextual factors that may increase vulnerability to or protect children from the effects of stress.
Self-Regulation and Toxic Stress: Foundations for Understanding Self-Regulation from an Applied Developmental Perspective (2MB). Murray DW, Rosanbalm K, Christopoulos C, and Hamoudi A. OPRE Report #2015-21, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2015). provides a comprehensive framework for understanding self-regulation in context, using a theoretical model that reflects the influence of biology, caregiving, and the environment on the development of self-regulation.
Survey finds teen, young mothers using Crittenton services have alarmingly high ACE scores. 2012. This article highlights insights and experiences from Crittenton agencies, which serve teenage and young women, many of whom are pregnant or parenting. The teenage and young mothers who are Crittenton clients have experienced up to seven times the levels of childhood trauma of a normal population. This finding is discussed in relation to findings from the Adverse Childhood Experience Study.
Trauma Assessment Measures. (PDF, 142KB). This document provides a list of measures that are brief, easy to administer and readily available to screen for trauma as well as additional measures that may be useful for further assessment, depending on the needs of a particular child and family.
Trauma in the LGBTQ Community. In light of the mass shooting in Orlando, this fact sheet developed by the National Council for Behavioral Health will help practitioners address trauma in their patients.
Virtual Violence: Council on Communication and Media. Research has been done to better understand the impact of violence experienced through technology and realistic games on the attitudes and behaviors of children.
Wisconsin Behavioral Risk Factor Survey - Draft Poverty and Neglect Survey Questions. (PDF, 98KB). This document contains a series of questions about poverty-related adverse experiences, including questions about hunger, homelessness, health care access, clothing, feeling safe and protected, number of caring adults, parental education, and single parenthood.
The UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DSM-V is a self-report questionnaire to screen for exposure to traumatic events and assess PTSD symptoms in school-age children and adolescents. The link provides access to a video and PowerPoint describing the administration and scoring of the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DSM-V.
Understanding adolescent and family influences on intimate partner psychological violence during emerging adulthood and adulthood. (PDF, 513KB). Lohman BJ et al. Journal of Youth Adolescence. 2013;42:500-517. This study examined how psychological intimate partner violence is transmitted across generations. The results show that exposure to parent–to–child psychological violence during adolescence is a key predictor of intimate partner violence throughout adulthood. In addition, negative emotionality and the number of sexual partners in adolescence predicted intimate partner violence in both emerging adulthood and adulthood.
Understanding Child Trauma. From SAMHSA-This fact sheet in infographic format provides parents and caregivers an overview of the types of traumatic stress that commonly affects children and details on the effects these events have on their physical and psychological health. The brochure includes a list of resources for assisting with recovery.
Understanding the Effects of Maltreatment on Brain Development. (PDF, 193KB). This issue brief from the Child Welfare Information Gateway provides information on the effects of abuse and neglect on brain development. The issue brief includes implications of brain development on trauma-informed practice and treatment. Understanding the neurobiology underlying challenging behavior, and the child’s individual experiences, are valuable tools in effectively treating the child.
Understanding Toxic Stress in Young Children. (PDF, 1MB). Navsaria D. Healthy Child Care America. This slideshow discusses brain development during early childhood, factors that can influence brain development, and how to support the development of a child’s brain.
Violent Places, Dangerous Times: Does Community Violence Control Your Life? NCTSN.org. (PDF, 484KB). – The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) has provided a one-page checklist to help youth asses the violence in their lives and communities. The purpose of the checklist is to teach at risk youth that they are not alone in their experiences with violence.
Breaking the links in intergenerational violence: an emotional regulation perspective. Siegel JP. Family Process. 2013; 52:163-178. This journal article focuses on emotion regulation as an approach to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma. The study calls for the use of a trauma-informed approach to screen and assess individuals with emotion regulation problems and explores approaches to treatment.
Intergenerational Cycles of Trauma and Violence: An Attachment and Family Systems Perspective. Pamela C. Alexander. This book published in December 2014 explores the conditions under which children, as a function of their own abuse, become abusive themselves. That experiences from childhood affect our behavior in adulthood, especially in the ways we treat our children and intimate partners, is generally accepted. Indeed, theories of intergenerational transmission of violence indicate that if we ourselves have been abused and neglected as children, we will likely be abusive and neglectful to others close to us—thus extending the cycle across generations. However, many individuals who were maltreated as children do not replicate this cycle, and such models make little sense of the individual raised in a “good family” who is violent either as a child or as an adult. These discontinuities of cycles of violence and trauma have challenged professionals and nonprofessionals alike. However, broadening our vision and attending to new areas of research can help to illuminate this conundrum and open up new avenues of intervention. In this book, Pamela Alexander does just that.
Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma: Exploring Mother-Infant Prenatal Attachment. Schwerdtfeger KL & Goff BSN. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 2007;20(1):39-51. This study explored the relationship between trauma and past parental attachment behaviors of 41 expectant mothers and the subsequent development of attachment and bonding with their unborn child. Results suggest that trauma history, in general, does not negatively impact expectant mothers' current prenatal attachment with their unborn child. However, interpersonal trauma history does appear to have negative effects on prenatal attachment. These results point to the importance of understanding the role of interpersonal trauma exposure on prenatal attachment
Mitigating Intergenerational Trauma within the Parent-Child Attachment. Fried J. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy. 2012;33(2):114-127. Nine-year-old Ben was said to hate women. His mother was terrified he'd ‘grow up a woman basher’. This paper describes the work done with Ben and his family at the Hobart Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service using predominantly three therapeutic modalities: Theraplay, Family Attachment Narrative Therapy and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy. The work enabled Ben's mother to navigate the aftermath of her own trauma history in order to heal Ben's attachment trauma.
Psychometric properties of the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index: Part I. Steinberg et al. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 2013;26:1-9. This article presents psychometric characteristics of the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DSM IV (PTSD-RI) derived from a large sample of children and adolescents (N = 6,291) evaluated at National Child Traumatic Stress Network centers. Overall mean total PTSD-RI score for girls was significantly higher as compared with boys.
Psychometric properties of the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index. Part II. Investigating factor structure findings in a national clinic-referred youth sample. Elhai et al. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 2013;26:10-18. This study examined the underlying factor structure of the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index (PTSD-RI) using data from 6,591 children/adolescents exposed to trauma, presenting for treatment at any of 54 National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) centers.
Screening homeless youth for histories of abuse: Prevalence, enduring effects, and interest in treatment. Keeshin BR, Campbell K. Child Abuse and Neglect. 2011;35:401-407. The goal of this study was to identify the incidence of self-reported physical and sexual child abuse among homeless youth, the self-perceived effects of past abuse, and current interest in treatment for past abuse among homeless youth with histories of abuse. Results showed histories of abuse are common among homeless youth and a majority of those reporting a history of abuse are still affected by their abuse. Interest in treatment for a history of abuse was comparable to interest in treatment for other morbidities in the homeless youth population such as tobacco use and substance abuse.
Vulnerability and Resilience in Childhood Trauma and PTDS: Scott Cicero is co-author of the book chapter Vulnerability and Resilience in Childhood Trauma and PTSD in Post-traumatic Syndromes in Childhood and Adolescence which looks at clustering resilience and vulnerability factors into a classification system by groups as one approach to understanding these characteristics in the development of PTSD. Resilience and vulnerability characteristics in the development of PTSD are multifactorial, requiring an understanding of biological, environmental, psychological/developmental, and social variables. It is also critical to understand how previous experience, stressor-related features, and cognitive attributes contribute to the clinical presentation when working with these individuals.
MENU
