May 1, 2016
Source: Kansas Department of Health and Environment
Researchers have demonstrated a link between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) of abuse, neglect and family dysfunction and health status later in life. This may be explained in part by a toxic physiological stress response, such as elevated stress hormone levels, to multiple stressors, which may have damaging effects on a child’s developing brain. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) introduced an optional module in 2008 to assess the relationship between ACE and health status at the population-level. The ACE optional module was included for the first time in the Kansas BRFSS in 2014.
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