About 60% of US adults have experienced at least 1 adverse childhood experience (ACE) and nearly 16% experienced 4 or more, substantially increasing their risk of poor health outcomes, according to the CDC’s first analysis of childhood ACEs.
Childhood adverse experience can run the gamut from sexual and physical abuse to witnessing violence or growing up in a family with mental health or substance misuse problems. Based on surveys of 144 000 adults in 25 states, the findings suggest there is an urgent need for interventions to prevent ACEs and to provide care for those who experience them.