Toxic Stress and Safety

Experiencing many ACEs, as well as the presence of societal ills, like racism and community violence, without supportive adults, can cause what’s known as toxic stress

The excessive activation of the stress response system can lead to long-lasting wear-and tear on the body and brain. The effect is similar to revving a car engine for days or weeks at a time

However, the effects of ACEs and toxic stress can be reduced due to human's capacity for resilience. Dr. Shonkoff, MD, Director at Harvard's Center for the Developing Child, emphasizes the point that, even for those who may have experienced toxic stress, “it’s never too late to make things better”

Fostering strong, responsive relationships between children and their caregivers, and helping children and adults build core life skills, can help to buffer a child from the effects of toxic stress.

Jack Shonkoff, MD, coined the term 'toxic stress' He summarized the research on the impact of ACEs and toxic stress when testifying before Congress in February, 2019.

Safety, stability, and nurturing are three critical qualities of relationships and environments that make a difference for children as they grow and develop

Safety is the extent to which a child is free from fear and secure from physical or psychological harm within their social and physical environment

Stability is the degree of predictability and consistency in a child’s social, emotional, and physical environment

Nurturing is the extent to which children’s physical, emotional, and developmental needs are sensitively and consistently met

Thousands of studies converge on the following two core scientific concepts:

1) A strong foundation for healthy development in young children requires a stable, responsive, and supportive relationship with at least one parent or primary caregiver

2) High and persistent levels of stress activation (known as “toxic stress”) can disrupt the architecture of the developing brain and other biological systems with serious negative impacts on learning, behavior, and lifelong health

- Jack Shonkoff, M.D. Director, Harvard Center for the Developing Child

“Epigenetics” is an emerging area of scientific research that shows how environmental influences children’s experiences affect the expression of their genes During development, the DNA that makes up our genes accumulates chemical marks that determines the degree to which genes are expressed This collection of chemical marks is called the “epigenome.”

The different experiences children have rearrange these chemical marks This explains why genetically identical twins can exhibit different behaviors, skills, health, and levels of achievement. This means the old idea that genes are “set in stone” has been disproved Nature vs Nurture is no longer a debate It’s nearly always both!

The genes children inherit from their biological parents provide information that guides their development For example, how tall they could eventually become or the kind of temperament they might have When experiences during development rearrange the epigenetic marks that govern gene expression, they can change whether and how genes release the information they carry Thus, the epigenome can be affected by positive experiences, such as supportive relationships and opportunities for learning or negative influences, such as environmental toxins or stressful life circumstances. Both types of experiences leave a unique epigenetic “signature” on the genes These signatures can be temporary or permanent and both types affect how easily the genes are switched on or off