Adverse Childhood Experiences

 


 

Questionnaire Resource Guide

Purpose:

This guide has a collection of resources that outline what Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) are, how to assess and utilize ACE scores in patient care.  


ACE Study Overview:

sad_childA large-scale epidemiological study was conducted in 1995 that questioned child and adolescent histories of 17,000 subjects, comparing their childhood experiences and their adult health records.  What the study by physicians, Vincent Felitti and Robert Anda, found was that two thirds of individuals have experienced one or more Adverse Childhood Experiences. The experiences included growing up with a depressed or alcoholic parent; losing a parent to divorce or other circumstances; experiencing humiliation, emotional neglect, sexual or physical abuse.
  
The number of Adverse Childhood Experiences an individual had, predicted the amount of medical care they require as an adult at a high rate of accuracy. Individuals who faced four or more ACE’s were more likely to be diagnosed with cancer, depression, heart disease, autoimmune disorders and other chronic illnesses, verses an individual who didn’t have ACE’s. The study surprisingly concluded that if one experiences more than six ACE’s it can shorten their life by twenty years.  


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ACE Resources

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: ACEs

  • Center for Youth Wellness

  • ACE Screening in Pediatrics

  • ACEs Connection

  • ACEs Too High

  • ACEs Resource Packet: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Basics

  • ACE Questionnaire

Sources: