Child abuse and neglect impact tens of thousands of North Carolina children each year, with the effects ranging from toxic stress to death. Even when the worst doesn’t happen, the consequences of child abuse can impact a child and his or her family and community for the rest of their lives, as evidenced by research into adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
Adverse experiences in childhood can lead to many negative health outcomes later in life, but for many kids the problems can start much earlier. In the current issue of the North Carolina Medical Journal, Denise Presnell, a school social worker, writes about efforts in Watauga County to address childhood trauma.
New research, published in the current issue of the North Carolina Medical Journal, pinpoints 5- to 9-year-olds in the Eastern region of the state as the demographic with the most asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits in North Carolina.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents to the original ACEs study reported experiencing at least one adverse experience, such as physical, sexual or emotional abuse, adult incarceration, mental illness, substance abuse or violence in the household. In North Carolina, that number is 57.6 percent, according to data from the North Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.