Tulsa World July 7, 2019

Page 1

Rising production shields consumers from oil price spikes. Work&money, E1 Sunday, July 7, 2019

FORECAST: T-storm, HIGH: 89, LOW 73. A16

|

tulsaworld.com

|

$4.00

SPECIAL REPORT: BREAKING THE CYCLE | Day 1

Oklahoma leads the nation in childhood trauma. How are the scars we leave on our children affecting our state, and what can we do about it?

T

By CURTIS KILLMAN • Tulsa World

he science is well established and should come as no surprise: children who suffer rough childhoods have a greater likelihood of being adversely affected later in life. Studies have shown that children who incur adverse experiences are more likely to develop mental health issues, suffer chronic health problems and/or take part in risky behaviors such as smoking or drug abuse. Oklahoma children are not immune from this phenomena. In fact we are No. 1, according to various nationwide surveys. »» See ACEs, page A7

Read the entire series at bit.ly/ACESproject  Mike Simons/Tulsa World file

Adverse effects of Oklahoma ACE scores

No. 1

in female incarceration rates and

No. 2 in male incarceration

rates, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Oklahoma ranks high for several social ills that have been linked to high Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) scores. A few examples:

No. 1

in the nation in incarceration rates when other factors such as the juvenile and jail populations are included, according to a 2018 study.*

No. 1 No. 5 in cancer deaths per capita,

in heart-disease mortality and

according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

No. 9

per capita in substantiated child abuse cases, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In Tulsa County, confirmed child abuse cases have more than doubled since 2010. In 2018, the number of confirmed child abuse cases statewide rose to levels not seen since 1999.

No. 5 in the nation in teen

smoking, according to CDC data. An estimated 12.5% of teens in Oklahoma smoke.

*by the nonprofit organization Prison Policy Initiative

‘I’ve been there. I know.’ Oklahoma’s children top the nation in trauma suffered, and one survivor is doing his part to stop it

T Theron Ogedengbe went into foster care at 9 and bounced around until aging out of the system. “I’m going to be the kind of therapist I wish I had had,” he says. “Because there are lot of their therapists out there who don’t really understand what it’s like. But I’ve been there. I know.”  IAN MAULE/Tulsa World

Find us online

INDEX Ask Amy Bus. People Bus. FYI

D10 E2 E3

Comics D5 Crosswords D7 Horoscope C6

Letters G2 Obituaries A12 Outdoors B8

Twitter: @tulsaworld Facebook: facebook.com/ tulsaworld

By Michael Overall Tulsa World

he boys were jumping on the motel room bed and having a lot of fun but also making a lot of noise and getting on her nerves. Theron Ogedengbe’s stepmother yelled at them to stop. He was 9 years old and should have been going to the third grade, but they kept hopping from motel to motel and she never bothered to send him to school. She wasn’t really even his stepmom. Not exactly. His dad had broken up with her, and she had a new boyfriend now. But his dad was in jail and

LOTTERY Pick 3: 8-5-1 | Cash 5: 4-7-21-25-28 Powerball: 4-8-23-46-65 01 x2 ($165 million) | Lotto America: 20-22-43-47-52 03 x2 ($21.38 million)

his biological mother was somewhere in California, no doubt strung out on drugs. Ogedengbe couldn’t remember what she looked like. This woman who was yelling at him to stop jumping on the bed was the closest thing he had to a parent. And he did what he was told. He stopped jumping. But his brother — a half brother, a year or two younger — didn’t. “Make him stop,” the woman yelled. “I can’t make him stop,” Ogedengbe said, raising his voice in irritation. “He’s your kid. You make him stop.” She had hit him before. Broke his »» See Oklahoma, page A7

Sunday - $4.00 8

11775

00002

3


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.