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Children may have positive and negative experiences as they grow-up. Both types of experiences influence their health and wellbeing throughout childhood and in adulthood.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include physical, emotional and sexual abuse, physical and emotional neglect and household dysfunction (such as parental mental illness, substance use, incarceration, violence and divorce) that may happen in a child's life up to the age of 18.
Adverse childhood experiences can lead to negative physical and mental health outcomes, such as obesity, heart disease and stroke, as well as negative health behaviours such as smoking and lack of physical activity.[1]
Resilience is a person's capacity to adapt to or bounce back from difficult times[3]
As social service and health care providers, educators, elected officials, parents and community members we must work together to help build resilience[2] and prevent adverse childhood experiences from happening in the first place. "Safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments" are critical to support children's healthy development. Home visiting programs with new parents, parent support programs, high quality child care, social support for parents, access to mental health and addictions services and adequate incomes protect against the occurrence and effects of ACEs.[1]
Preventing and reducing the effects adverse childhood experiences is essential to build healthy, safe, secure and resilient children and adults. Addressing lack of access to the social determinants of health and supporting and promoting protective factors are also critical elements in building strong communities where everyone has the opportunity to be happy, to be healthy and to thrive.
For more information about adverse childhood experiences and how you can build resilience go to communityreslience.ca.
References
[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adverse childhood experiences- Looking at how ACEs affect our lives & society. Atlanta, Georgia; 2016. Available at: http://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/phl/resource_center_infographic.html
[2] Roadmap to Resilience. Available at: http://www.janeellenstevens.com/ACEsRoadmaptoResilience.html
[3] Masten, A.S., Gewirtz, A.H., & Sapienza, J.K. (2013). Resilience in development: the importance of early childhood. Retrieved March 15, 2018.