Defining ACEs

The term ACEs is an acronym which stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences. The original ACE research asked adults about their childhoods and was able to draw connections between the experiences of childhood and risks to health as well as lifestyle.

What are ACEs?

The original ACE Study was conducted at Kaiser Permanente with the Center for Disease Control from 1995 to 1997 with two waves of data collection. Over 17,000 Health Maintenance Organization members from Southern California receiving physical exams completed confidential surveys regarding their childhood experiences and current health status and behaviors. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are categorized into three groups: abuse, neglect, and household challenges. ACEs are common across all populations. They are comprised of the following experiences:

  • Parental separation or divorce
  • Emotional abuse
  • Physical abuse
  • Sexual abuse
  • Substance abuse in the household
  • Parent Figure treated violently
  • Mental illness in the household
  • Incarcerated household member
  • Emotional neglect
  • Physical neglect
As the number of ACEs increase, so do the risks for negative outcomes, which include:

  1. Cancer
  2. Diabetes
  3. Mental Health Issues including Depression Anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and related issues
  4. Unintended Pregnancy
  5. Fetal Death Alcohol and/or Drug Abuse
  6. Obesity
  7. Acting out Sexually
  8. Medical Injuries such as Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), Fractures, Burns
  9. Sleep Disorders
  10. Cognitive Impairment
These are some of the responses children have to the adverse childhood experiences prior to, during, and after divorce. Significantly, diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes are not strictly co-related to the lifestyles which may accompany responses to the adverse experiences, such as drinking, smoking and drugs. Rather, the toxic stress of these adverse experiences, independent of a child's subsequent lifestyle, shortens children's lives. The ACEs of a divorce are experiences which, if unaddressed, can permanently alter the social, economic, psychological and medical condition of a child, as well as others affected by the divorce. Not all children and families respond the same way to ACEs such as divorce, though few emerge entirely without effect.