Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events whether physical, emotional, or sexual in nature that occur during childhood.
The Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs) Questionnaire (Felitti et al, 1998) is a ten-item questionnaire that measures childhood trauma. The questionnaire assesses ten types of childhood trauma measured in the CDC-Kaiser Permanente ACE study. Five are personal: physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect. The other five pertain to issues within your childhood home or family.
Each “Yes” answer from the ten questions should be totaled to provide a net score at the end.
My score (the Author, Bess Hilpert) on the ACEs questionnaire is 8 out of 10.
As a result of my experiences, I have had a lifetime of trials and fails, hurts and deep depression. Anxiety and I hold hands.
I never understood why I looked the same as everyone on the outside, but inside it was very difficult to be me. Very difficult to make it through a day.
Thanks to burgeoning research in the field of trauma related behavioral healthcare, I am beginning to understand why I respond to situations the way I do and did. I am learning that I am not alone. And I have finally found meaningful connection.
This I wish for each of you, if you or someone you know has been touched by childhood maltreatment.