V: ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ACEs)
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), such as abuse, neglect, or growing up in a household affected by violence or substance use, play a critical role in shaping long-term health and well-being. Because the Health Capability Profile looks at health across the entire life course, it recognizes that early environments can have lasting effects on how people think, cope, make decisions, and care for themselves. Repeated exposure to stress in childhood can overwhelm a child’s developing nervous system, leading to long-term challenges with emotional regulation, concentration, and feelings of safety, even when some protective factors, like financial stability or a caring parent, are present. V’s story helps illustrate this.
V was raised in an economically stable household living in a safe neighborhood. V’s mother takes care of him and supports him. They regularly engage in positive activities together [112]. However, from a very young age, V has been exposed to his father’s psychological abuse through pervasive blaming, belittling, terrorizing, and intimidations [113]. In addition, V is a victim of his father’s alcohol use disorder and has been exposed to his father’s domestic abuse, including of his mother and siblings [114]. As a result, V develops toxic stress, and experiences fatigue, dissociation, and fear [115]. Despite his mother’s support, V has problems sleeping and upsetting dreams, angry outbursts and extreme emotional reactions. He has problems concentrating and loses interest in activities – symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder [116].
