Nearly Half of U.S. Kids Exposed to Traumatic Experiences During Childhood

The study recently published in the journal Health Affairs analyzes the impact of traumatic life events on childhood development throughout the nation. Researchers reviewed data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, which included records of 95,677 children under the age of 17. Various traumatic experiences, including exposure to substance abuse, death of a parent, divorce, mental illness, domestic violence and extreme economic hardship, were indexed. The study measured 22 percent of the participants as being exposed to two or more traumatic hardships, and this population was shown to be 2.5 times more likely to repeat a grade in school, as well as experience general disengagement. Notably, these children also were shown to have higher rates of chronic health problems, including ADHD, asthma, autism spectrum disorders, obesity and other conditions. However, the study also indicated that some children challenged with both a chronic health issue and multiple traumatic factors, when trained in resilience and stress management, actually showed increased engagement in school and were half as likely to repeat a grade. To learn more about this study, click here.