ABSTRACT
This chapter documents the history of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study from its initial novel findings, which pointed to the centrality of abuse in the lives of those participants who did not maintain weight loss, to the involvement of researchers in the Centers for Disease Control that served to broaden the study, culminating in the involvement of 17,000 participants and the revolutionary findings of the impact of childhood adversity on adult health status. Emphasis is placed on the extraordinarily common, yet often overlooked risks for adult health consequences when adversity, chronic stress, abuse and family dysfunction occur prior to age 18. A subsequent study, which included more diverse and less advantaged populations than the original study, provided expanded ACE indicators. The findings included the more “upstream” factors that create health risks for individuals such as poverty, community violence and being raised in the foster care system. The authors emphasize the critical importance of building a knowledge base in ACEs and the socio-structural determinants of health in order for health care students and professionals to optimize the impact of their interventions.
