One of every five children in Kentucky, by the time they are 5 years old, has experienced two or more adverse childhood experiences such as child abuse, economic hardship, exposure to violence, living in a household with mental illness or substance abuse, or where a family member has been incarcerated.
That is one of the major points of the 24th annual Kids Count report, released by Kentucky Youth Advocates. The report is part of a state-by-state effort; nationally, only one in eight children by age 5 have had two adverse experiences, defined as events or circumstances that can affect the quality of the child’s adult life, including their health and length of life.
“The higher the total number of these events a child experiences, the higher the risk of obesity, chronic illness, substance abuse, smoking and mental health problems,” the report says. Another study cited in the report found that “Children who had experienced four or more adverse events had lower incomes, lower education attainment and lost more days of work or school as adults due to problems with physical or mental health.”
[For more of this story go to http://www.kyforward.com/our-h...of-traumatic-events/]
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