Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Impact, Prevention, and Treatment

People of all socioeconomic backgrounds can experience varying levels of trauma as children. In a single year, one billion children (ages 2–17) are estimated to have been exposed to some form of trauma.1 Traumatic experiences, including abuse, neglect, parental separation, and familial violence, can have a detrimental impact on children’s emotional health. Research has also demonstrated that these events called adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), are also linked to poorer outcomes in adulthood and the development of a variety of physical and psychological conditions.