Exposure to adversity impacts the lives of individuals in severe ways that, if neglected or left without proper treatment, can damage the development and general health of an individual. Young children are very vulnerable because they are mostly at the stage where they learn and are very receptive to the details around their environment, homes, and family in general. Adverse Childhood exposure is an issue that greatly impacts the lives of individuals from childhood and into adulthood in multiple ways. It is very easy to assume that linking some adulthood characteristics and behaviors is lazy. However, it is very crucial and important to understand the childhood background and the adversities faced by an individual while diagnosing them and understanding their conditions (Vincent J Felitti MD, 1998).
The ACE study is one very important study that brought to light the importance of understanding adverse childhood exposure and its correlation to adulthood complications and the health of individuals across their lifetimes. The ACE study was undertaken in two cohorts, and the results were eye-opening, given that they revealed a lot about the diagnosis and treatment approach that was being implemented. The original ACE report was distributed to various respondents who were asked about some of their early childhood experiences (Vincent J Felitti MD, 1998). The study focused on the relationship between the length of exposure to sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, and threats to adverse adulthood disease and conditions.
The results from the study indicated that there was a clear correlation between an individual’s childhood and their lifespan, diseases, and adulthood conditions. Furthermore, the study also deduced that individuals with higher ACE scores were more likely to suffer from adverse health conditions, contemplate suicide, and develop extreme habits. The study has proven to be very effective in understanding some of the adverse and serious health and behavioral patterns of individuals and their relationship to the upbringing of an individual (Harris, 2014). The ACE study also tries to make sense of the late adulthood struggles to the occurrence of early life adversities.
A better illustration is the comparison of the quick adrenaline and serotonin rush and excretion of relaxation hormones that an individual may have when they encounter something scary, for instance, a bear in the forest. The secretion of the hormones allows the individual to activate their fight or flight response to encountering the bear. Adverse childhood exposure can be equated to the first time an individual has an adrenaline rush due to encountering a bear; continuous exposure to adverse conditions may become harmful for young children because the response gradually changes due to repetitive activation of the response system. The brains of young children are susceptible to stress; hence, their development can be greatly hindered by continuous exposure to adverse trauma or abuse.
The ACE pyramid is a conceptual model that is used to understand and illustrate the pattern and path that a child’s health may take after encountering adverse conditions; the model tries to illustrate the correlation between the encounters and the adulthood conditions of a given individual. Biopsychosocial behaviors and characteristics are deeply linked to the ACE that an individual indicates; the model also tries to illustrate how biopsychosocial behaviors gradually impact the health and lifespan of an individual throughout adulthood. The model illustrates the general impact of longer exposure to ACEs and their impact on the life and habits of an individual (Winfrey, 2018). The model links some of the extreme and risky behaviors to extreme and longer exposure to ACEs during childhood. Other development theories try to explain the importance of childhood development and the impact of ACES on adulthood.
Development Theories
The various development theories provide different angles and points of thinking about human development and the factors that influence it. There are a variety of development theories, and each has specific cornerstones and concepts that it is built around. Freud’s psychosexual development theory is one example of a development theory; it focuses on the sexual development of an individual and the various phases that are involved in the development phases of an individual’s pleasure and the impact of sexual energy during the various stages, which include genital and phallic. Freud states that if an individual is not able to develop and fully progress through a pleasure area development stage, they remain fixated in that particular stage, and this may impact their adulthood (Cherry, 2023).
Another development theory is Erikson’s psychosocial development theory. This theory is based on a further excursion on Freud’s theory, and it defines human development and growth based on eight major stages that are influenced by the conflicts and the social encounters that an individual may experience throughout their lifetime. This development theory explains the impactful factors during an individual’s lifetime, ranging from childhood to death (Cherry, 2023). The theory explains that proper development or any conflict during development during one stage impacts the psychosocial development of the individual in the later stages.
Another interesting development theory is Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Theory; this theory tries to understand and conceptualize the development of a human being’s thought process. The theory also tries to define and illustrate how the various thought processes of different individuals impact how they view or perceive the world. The theory is further expanded into various development stages, namely the Sensorimotor Stage, which is the period between birth and the first two years. Another stage is the Pre-operational stage, which is between the ages of 2 and six years. The third period is the concrete operational period, which is between ages seven and 11, and the final development stage is the formal operational period, which is from age twelve to adulthood. The different development periods or stages are characterized by the learning and development of various abilities, such as talking, walking, etc.
The three listed development theories have distinct similarities, which are that all three theories acknowledge the significance of early encounters and experiences in the development and gradual progression of an individual’s development from childhood through adulthood (Cherry, 2023). Another significant similarity is that all three theories emphasize on the great impact of both the external or environmental and internal factors on the eventual development of a human being. However, there are also some differences in concepts, approaches, and ideas from each of the three theories. Freud’s theory is focused on the impact of the psychosexual aspect on development, while Erikson’s theory is focused on the impact of psychosocial factors on the development of an individual. Piaget’s theory, on the other hand, focuses on the significance of the cognitive development of an individual and the continuous development of an individual’s thinking perspective through the various stages of cognitive development. The three theories try to explain how and why adverse childhood experiences impact the life of a human being from childhood to adulthood through the various enlisted concepts.
Cultural/Contextual factors
Various important factors contribute to the development of an individual in regard to the culture or environment in which an individual is raised. These factors can be very useful in giving more context and relation between an individual’s behavior, characteristics, or conditions and the type of adverse childhood experiences that they may have encountered in a particular culture or environment.it is important to consider the cultural factor when trying to understand the impact of ACEs (Hughes, 2020). One factor is the cultural norms and assumptions in different places, families, and communities in general. For instance, young children growing up in a misogynistic family or setup may be gradually and eventually led to believe that misogyny is acceptable; the same children may also be adversely affected by the constant harassment and abuse suffered by women in their surroundings due to the normalization of abuse and degradation of women around them. As highlighted by the various development theories, different social encounters may impact the development stage of an individual; hence, normalized misogyny and abuse of women is a factor that has to be considered when addressing the impact of ACEs.
Another contextual factor that is very crucial is the socio-economic status of the individuals. This factor greatly impacts the type of upbringing that an individual has, and it also dictates the resources and materials that they are able to access. Socio-economic factors dictate the type and quality of life that an individual and their family have because they include the ability to provide the requirements such as healthcare and even shelter comfortably. Individuals from poor backgrounds are not able to access a lot and may have to deal with adverse experiences due to the economic strains on the household (Hughes, 2020). Another important factor is access to the support system, which may be made up of family and professional healthcare.
The three listed factors are similarly important in assessing the impact of ACEs. The three factors all entail the environmental factors that eventually set young individuals up for adverse childhood experiences. While the three encounters might all be crucial for the assessment of ACEs, it is crucial to understand that adverse childhood experiences cannot be pinned down only to environmental and economic factors. There are also factors such as neglect, external social interactions, and even death. Each of the listed factors may differ, given the type of culture and community that an individual experiences.
Positive Childhood Experiences
Various positive childhood experiences can help neutralize or mitigate the impact of adverse childhood experiences. Having a secure attachment relationship is one big factor that can easily negate ACEs; the effects of neglect can actually be better negated by this positive childhood experience. Another positive childhood experience that effectively mitigates the impact of ACEs on an individual’s life is appropriate mentorship and quality education. Having access to quality mentorship may help an individual understand better the impact of the ACEs that they encountered in their childhood and how to deal with and mitigate the effects of the ACEs. The third PCE that can negate the impact of ACEs is active participation in extracurricular activities and involvement with their peers (Vincent J Felitti MD, 1998). Active participation may help improve social interactions and the personal confidence and esteem of an individual early on through continuous involvement in engaging activities such as sports and competitions. This type of PCE can help mitigate the negative impact of social anxiety, which may have been caused by emotional and physical abuse in an individual’s childhood.
The ACE study was very crucial in bringing to light the essence of a deeper and more nuanced understanding and investigation of an individual’s background and childhood while diagnosing and treating some of the adulthood issues and complications. While other factors also influence and impact the health issues that different individuals experience during their adulthood, it is very crucial to understand the patterns and the relationships that the different encounters may have on particular conditions and behaviors of an individual.
References:
Cherry, K. (2023, March 13). 7 Main Developmental Theories. Retrieved from verywellmind.com: https://www.verywellmind.com/child-development-theories-2795068
Harris, N. B. (2014, September). How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime. Retrieved from ted.com: https://www.ted.com/talks/nadine_burke_harris_how_childhood_trauma_affects_health_across_a_lifetime?language=en
Hughes, P. (2020, October 29). Adverse Childhood Experiences as Predictors of Perceived Health. Assessing the ACE Pyramid Model Using Multiple-Mediation, pp. 293–304.
Vincent J Felitti MD, F. (1998, May). Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, pp. 245–258.
Winfrey, O. (2018, March 11). Treating childhood trauma. Retrieved from cbs.com: https://www.cbs.com/shows/video/vm02T0fGuBx6X3KK_YPO5Kse6UBHxad8/
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