A July report by Child Trends, a nonprofit children’s research group, found that children exposed to potentially traumatic events (i.e., adverse childhood experiences or ACEs) are at increased risk of poor health and illnesses as adults.
The report analyzed survey responses from more than 95,000 adults about children in their households. They found that just under half of all children in the U.S. had experienced at least one ACE, but that their prevalence varies widely among states.
The study found economic hardship to be the most ACE experienced by children in almost all states, followed by parents’ divorce or separation. Other ACEs reported included (1) living with someone who was mentally ill, depressed, or suicidal for more than a couple of weeks or abused substances and (2) exposure to neighborhood violence.
The study found that Connecticut and New Jersey have some of the lowest rates nationally for ACEs, while Oklahoma had some of the highest rates.
