Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences Assignment

Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences Assignment

Self-Assessment Test

The adverse childhood experiences (ACE) tool is a framework that measures childhood trauma and predicts mental health challenges in adults. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2022), adverse childhood experiences negatively affect individuals’ health and well-being. These experiences contribute to adult conditions, including mental health challenges, heart disease, substance use, depression, and chronic diseases (Boullier & Blair, 2018). Additionally, they may influence individuals’ decision-making capabilities and push them into crime. Therefore, the tool can be applied to establish the possible causes of a person’s behavior and mental health. Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences Assignment

While using the tool, I identified some benefits that help identify the causes of a mental illness in a patient. The tool examines important hallmarks of childhood abuse or negligence that may explain a person’s health status. The hallmarks include verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, negligence, and emotional abuse (Boullier & Blair, 2018). The tool also assesses a person’s childhood environment that would have contributed to their current health status. They include parental separation, substance use problems, and mental health challenges among caregivers. However, when using the tool, I encountered some challenges that may limit one’s ability to determine childhood experiences.

ORDER HERE A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER 

Although I had adverse experiences in my childhood that may have impacted my well-being, I also had a strong support system that improved everything. I had a loving teacher at school who would listen to my challenges and help me address them. For instance, when my mother beat me so hard until I felt I was unimportant to her, my teacher would encourage me and assure me that all would be well. I also had a supportive grandmother who was a haven for me. The experiences made me face my experiences with positivity. Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences Assignment

The ACE tool can potentially be used to establish the cause of a patent’s mental health illnesses. For instance, assessing their childhood experiences enables a psychiatrist to determine whether their current state results from past events (Boullier & Blair, 2018). In such cases, the therapeutic process will focus on addressing the impact of the experiences.

 

 References

Boullier, M., & Blair, M. (2018). Adverse childhood experiences. Paediatrics and Child Health, 28(3), 132-137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paed.2017.12.008

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Fast facts: preventing adverse childhood experiences. 

Complete the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale Test (Links to an external site.) as a self-assessment exercise. Keep in mind that this tool is just for demonstration purposes, to show you one of many ways to measure stressors.

An Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) score is one way to measure childhood trauma and one way to predict later mental health issues. Remember, it is important to think of this tool as a guideline and not as prescriptive. Explore the tool as a potential resource for your practice. Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences Assignment

Instructions

Go to Got Your ACE Score? (Links to an external site.)
Review the questionnaire. If you feel comfortable, try it out (you do not need to submit your score).
Review the “what does it mean” section of the web page to understand how this tool can be used as a predictive tool.

Guidelines
Write a reflection of the exercise, the challenges and/or benefits of using the tool, and the potential use with patients.

Your assignment submission should be around 250 words in length. It should contain proper grammar, be free of spelling errors, and reflect critical thinking.  Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences Assignment