Lookbook Vol. 2
DEFINITION
“The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are a measure of childhood trauma. The percentage of children ages 0-17 who experienced two or more of the following: economic hardship, parental divorce or separation, living with someone who had an alcohol or drug problem, neighborhood violence victim or witness, living with someone who was mentally ill, suicidal or severely depressed,domestic violence witness, parent served jail time, treated or judged unfairly due to race and ethnicity, or death of parent (2-year estimate between 2018-2010).”117
ACEs Reported Data Highlight: Justice involved women have some of the highest documented Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) of any studied group,109,110 and justice involved youth are 13 times more likely to report at least one ACE measure than the general public.116
Why We Care: 19.8 percent Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), are a measure of NATIONAL AVERAGE trauma and hardship experienced by an adult as a child. In 14.7 percent Oklahoma, over one in four adults experienced at least two adverse childhood experiences, increasing the likelihood with which that adult will struggle with health conditions like obesity, heart problems, or mental health issues.109,110,117 ACEs also increase the likelihood an adult will engage in smoking, alcohol, or substance use to self-medicate stress or past trauma. While many ACEs can be present at any socio-economic level, ACEs like divorce or having a parent incarcerated can create a strain on financial resources in families and disproportionately impact families of lower incomes.109,110 While ACEs do not factor in questions relating to race, ethnicity, ability, justice involvement, sexual orientation or gender identity, these factors absolutely contribute to variance in ACEs reported .117 OKLAHOMA
What We Can Do: - Bridge traditional health care with social service organizations and other community partners trained in evidence-based prevention programming, trauma-informed care - Remove barriers to access for mental health and substance abuse services - Support the creation of a clinical diagnostic tool modeled after the ACEs screening tool. - Ensure that health care providers are trained in trauma-informed Care in a clinical setting - Evaluate ACEs through the lens of identity (race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, etc.)
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