How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime

There is now scientific research that supports a direct link between early childhood experiences and physical health through both behavioral and biological pathways. In the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Study of over 17,000 participants, individuals who had experienced multiple adverse events were also more likely to suffer from many of the leading causes of death in the U.S., even when controlled for smoking, excessive drinking, or obesity. In a recent TED Talk, Nadine Burke Harris shares her experiences as a pediatrician and witnessing firsthand the detrimental effects childhood trauma can have on an individual’s health. In the video, Harris describes the evolution of her medical practice to viewing childhood trauma as a medical issue to better treat her patients and begin working towards preventing its lasting effects into adulthood. For more information on Nadine Burke Harris’s work and research, read her story here.