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Many trauma effects are the same in rich and poor neighborhoods. Suicide, domestic violence, incest, rates of "mental illness."

But ACE scores are higher in low income neighborhoods.

Are we looking at the wrong questions? Do low income people moderate the trauma effects some way? Why are rich neighborhoods effected the same when scores are lower?

What's missing with this picture?

 

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There are more "ACEs" in the World Health Organization's (WHO) ACE International Questionaire than the 8, later 10, questions in the CDC/Kaiser-Permanente ACE study screening tool. The WHO ACE International Questionaire can be accessed on the WHO website [lower-right quadrant of the homepage-last time I checked].

If I read the WHO ACE International Questionaire correctly, there may be as many as 47 "Aces"-depending on answers to the original primary questions. I think also assessing the resilience scores may be a factor. In one Resilience screening questionaire, I had a Resilience score of 10, in spite of an ACE score of 6 on the US CDC/Kaiser ACE screening questions. WHO used their ACE screen in their 2013 assessment of the world's healthiest children. (Netherlands was #1, followed by most if not all of Scandinavia, ...the U.S. was only 25th, and Canada 26th...). A test of the validity of 'traumas' and resilience screening tools was done with 298 English speaking prisoners in a Nigerian Prison and reported in a scholarly journal ['recently']. 

Corinna, in answer to one question you raised about 'poor neighborhoods' in your comment above, a book I'd read in undergrad school [darn, if I can't immediately recall the title, but it addressed a 'resilience factor' in 'poor neighborhoods'. I'll work on trying to recall the title of it.]

Last edited by Robert Olcott

If you want to read the ACE reports from states, go to: https://www.pacesconnection.com/...e-ACE-survey-reports

Also, I think that the environment has an effect on what happens to people with high ACE scores. For example, high ACE-score children in high-income families aren't likely to be expelled or suspended from school as often as high ACE-score children from low-income families. And data shows that once a kid's expelled or suspended, that's the first step on the journey to prison, i.e., a low-income high-ACE score kid may have more interaction with law enforcement because after they're expelled or suspended they may have joined a gang for some emotional support that they're not getting at home and can no longer get at school. However, high ACEs are high ACEs, and thus children with high ACE scores in high-income families still find a way to communicate their troubles, only with suicide, prescription drug use, alcohol, and bullying.

Jane,

     The recent ACE 'study' of english speaking Nigerian prisoners (298 spoke/read and/or understood english, and participated in the study), also cross-checked the validity of another trauma screening tool, and may have also explored 'resilience' as well--I don't recall for certain about the resilience part. It basically validated both trauma screening tools, though.

     Thank You for posting the link to the Resilience Score, for Vistoria, too!

Last edited by Robert Olcott

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