By Ray Hanley, Talk Business & Politics, August 16, 2020
All children face challenges – it’s how they learn and grow into responsible adults. But how does one child experience a terrible childhood trauma and survive, even prosper as an adult, while another child is emotionally and physically destroyed by it? The answer is closely linked to the amount of resilience in each child.
Resilience – the ability to recover from or adjust to trauma or misfortune – comes in many forms – a loving, supportive family; not living in poverty; access to quality health care and education; and association with other supportive adults, including grandparents, teachers and neighbors. Resilience against adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is also built by supportive environments in our homes, towns, schools and institutions. It is from resilience that children build protective factors to help them overcome abuse or neglect.
Arkansas has the highest percentage of children with at least one ACE; one in seven have experienced three or more ACEs. The mental and physical trauma that cause ACEs includes physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse; neglect; or household dysfunction, such as divorce, parental incarceration, substance abuse, mental illness or exposure to domestic violence.
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