ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES Resources & Signposting

A growing body of research is revealing the long-term impacts that experiences and events during childhood have on individuals’ life chances. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) such as abuse, neglect and dysfunctional home environments have been shown to be associated with the development of a wide range of harmful behaviours including smoking, harmful alcohol use, drug use, risky sexual behaviour, violence and crime.

They are also linked to diseases such as diabetes, mental illness, cancer and cardiovascular disease, and ultimately to premature mortality.

In 2012, the Centre for Public Health ran the first UK study using internationally validated ACE tools in Blackburn with Darwin (BwD; Bellis et al, 2014a). This found that increasing ACEs were strongly associated with adverse behavioural, health and social outcomes across the life course. Subsequently, a national ACE study was undertaken in England in 2013. This found that almost half of the general population reported at least one ACE and over 8% reported four or more (Bellis et al, 2014bc).

LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORE UNIVERSITY PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTE

World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Violence Prevention

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