Dr. Sandra Morgan and Dave Stachowiak discuss the effects adverse childhood experiences can have on a person’s entire life. They also share tools that can be used to measure the impact these experiences can have and also the factors that influence a person’s resilience.

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Transcript

Dave: [00:00:00] You’re listening to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. This is episode number 172, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Building Resilience.

Production Credits: [00:00:10] Produced by Innovate Learning, maximizing human potential.

Dave: [00:00:30] Welcome to the Ending Human Trafficking podcast. My name is Dave Stachowiak.

Sandie: [00:00:35] And my name is Sandie Morgan.

Dave: [00:00:38] And this is the show where we empower you to study the issues, be a voice, and make a difference in ending human trafficking. Sandie, today we’re going to take a look at a model that came out of a study from a number of years ago and you have an assessment under my nose as well that I have a feeling I might be taking here shortly.

Sandie: [00:00:59] Well, there was a study that began with the Center for Disease Control and Kaiser. And it’s called the ACE Study, adverse childhood experience, and the concept was that we have childhood experiences that are predictors of our future health, including mental health, behavioral health, everything. And even how opportunity works in our life. And so, we want to look at this as a predictor of how we better serve the most vulnerable for becoming victims of human trafficking or how that experience actually informs how we support victims and intervene on their behalf.

Sandie: [00:01:48] And so the first thing we’re going to do is look at the actual survey tool that’s used, and it’s called an ACE quiz. I’ve used it in my classes for years, especially when I first started teaching family violence because if you understand how that child, who is involved in a situation beyond their control, how that impacts their future then you can better create strategies for prevention and early intervention.

Sandie: [00:02:18] And so I’ve printed this quiz. It’s only 10 questions, and you will have a link for you to download it. But Dave I want you to take this, while I read the questions so everybody understands the direction that we’re going with this. You take the quiz and then we’ll ask you what your score is.

Dave: [00:02:39] Ok I’m ready.

Sandie: [00:02:40] The first question, did a parent or other adult in the household often or very often swear at you, insult you, put you down, or humiliate you, or act in a way that made you afraid that you might be physically hurt? So, you answer yes or you answer no. And if it’s a yes, it’s one point. The next question, did a parent or other adult in your household often or very often push, grab, slap, or throw something at you, or ever hit you so hard that you had marks or were injured? Did an adult or person at least five years older than you touch or fondle you, or have you touch their body in a sexual way or attempt to have oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse? Answer yes or no. Number four, did you often or very often feel that no one in your family loved you, or thought you were important or special, or your family didn’t look out for each other and feel close to each other or support each other?

[00:03:43] And number five did you often or very often feel that you didn’t have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, and had no one to protect you? Or your parents were too drunk or high to take care of you or take you to the doctor? Number six, was a biological parent ever lost to you through divorce, abandonment, or other reasons? Number seven, was your mother or stepmother often or very often pushed, grabbed, slapped, or had something thrown at her? Or sometimes often or very often kicked, bitten, hit with a fist, or hit with something hard, or ever repeatedly hit over at least a few minutes, or threatened with a gun or a knife? Number eight, did you live with anyone who was a problem drinker, or alcoholic, or who used street drugs? Number nine, was a household member depressed, or mentally ill, or did a household member attempt suicide? And the last question, did a household member go to prison, no or yes? So now you add up your yes answers and that is your ACE score.

Dave: [00:04:54] And my score thankfully is 0.

Sandie: [00:04:58] I give this every year, and the majority of my students in my classes are from 0 to 2. And then there are probably about 20 percent who are the four or five. And then there’s about 5 percent that are six or more. And I remember the first time a young student scored eight and we took our break and she was immediately right in front of me, “Am I going to be OK?”. And I learned that day, don’t give the resilience quiz after the break, give it before the break because there is a corresponding quiz on resilience. And so, the idea that this is a determining quiz. This is all of these bad things will happen to you is not true. When we figure out how to build resilience back in and we have to start from that perspective.

Sandie: [00:05:58] So we use the ACE quiz because it has a lot of validation. Later research...