Trauma and ACEs

For American communities, experiencing trauma is common for both adults and children (SAMHSA, 2022). The word trauma can be an emotion-pack word, making it difficult to talk about, but the effects that trauma can have on people are substantial, which makes it especially important to discuss. This blog post will provide a quick overview of what trauma and adverse childhood experiences are. This is the first post in a series of blogs that will examine trauma and other factors that intersect with it, like poverty and mental health. 

Defining Trauma

First, let’s define trauma. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) uses the “3 E” framework to define trauma, it consists of three major components:

1. Event 

First, “individual trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances” (SAMHSA, 2022). In order for a person to experience trauma, there must first be an event or series of events or circumstances that take place. 

1. Experience

What makes an event traumatic for someone, is that it is experienced by that person as  “physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening” (SAMHSA, 2022). Not everyone will experience or perceive a potential traumatic event as traumatic, which is why perception/experience is a key component in trauma.

1. Effect

Lastly, trauma has an effect on the individual who experiences a traumatic event. To be considered trauma, the event must have “lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being” (SAMHSA, 2022).

Some examples of traumatic events or set of circumstances include:

• Physical or emotional abuse or neglect
• Natural Disasters
• Bullying
• Community Violence
• Intimate Partner Violence

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are “potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years)” (CDC, 2022). The concept of ACEs formed after the CDC-Kaiser ACE study, from 1995-1997, which collected data on experiences of childhood abuse and neglect. Now, an ACE questionnaire is included as a part of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a national survey conducted annually by the CDC to collect data on American health and health-risk behavior (CDC, 2022).

Because experiencing trauma and ACEs can result in health and mental health problems, such as asthma, diabetes, depression, and anxiety (CDC, 2019), there are current efforts to investigate risk and protective factors for experiencing ACES, as well as strategies for preventing ACEs (CDC, 2022).

If you suspect a child in your life has experienced a traumatic event, here is list of symptoms they may express:

• Sleep, eating, attention, and/or emotion regulation disturbances
• Repetitive/post-traumatic play
• Developmental regression
• Aggressive or sexualized behavior
• Talking about the traumatic event
• Reacting to reminders about the traumatic event

(CECMHC, n.d.) and (Bubrick, 2023)

Please seek the help of a mental health professional if you or your child are experiencing negative mental health concerns following the exposure to a traumatic experience or set of circumstances.

References

Bubrick, J. (2023, April 27). Signs of Trauma in Children. Child Mind Institute. https://childmind.org/article/signs-trauma-children/ 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, April 6). About the CDC-Kaiser Ace Study . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/about.html 

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) | Preventing early trauma to improve adult health. https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/aces/pdf/vs-1105-aces-H.pdf 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, May 5). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/index.html 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, April 6). Fast facts: Preventing adverse childhood experiences . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/fastfact.html 

Georgetown University for Child and Human Development. (n.d.). Trauma signs and symptoms. Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation. https://www.ecmhc.org/tutorials/trauma/mod3_1.html 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2022, September 27). Trauma and violence. SAMHSA. https://www.samhsa.gov/trauma-violence

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014, July). SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. SAMHSA. https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/d7/priv/sma14-4884.pdf