By: Jennifer Zhou

ACEs is the acronym for adverse childhood experiences, which are the events that disrupt children’s lives. Research has shown the long shadows that early adversity can cast in mental health outcomes.

A study published in 2019 by the JAMA Pediatrics examined the effects of positive child experiences. Researchers asked 6,188 adults seven questions each about their childhoods.

The seven questions were: Had they been able to talk to their families about their feelings? Had they felt their families stood by them during difficult times? Had they enjoyed participating in community traditions? Did they feel a sense of belonging in high school? Were they supported by friends? Were there at least two non-parent adults who took an interest in them? Had they felt safe and protected by an adult in their home?

For those who reported six to seven of these experiences, the risk of depression dropped by 75 percent, while those who reported three to five of the positive experiences had a 50 percent chance of depression.

A recent study published in June, looked at more than 10,000 young children in the United States and found that those who reported having parents reading to them from a young age had better cognitive performance and better mental health than children who had started reading later. The study involved “brain scans, cognitive test scores and measures of academic performance, as well as mental health symptoms and behavioral problems.”

Clinical psychologist Barbara Sahakian says that “We found that the effects of reading for pleasure in early childhood were beneficial for adolescents regardless of family socio-economic status, family income and parental education.”

Recently, pediatricians have been encouraging parents to read out loud to their children using a program called Reach Out And Read. With early language and literature, learning and development is easier for young children.

A study conducted from 1995 to 1997, with results published in 1998, showed that higher numbers of adverse experiences in childhood were associated with not only higher rates of mental health problems and substance use disorder in adulthood but also higher rates of heart disease, cancer and chronic lung disease.

Some advice from Christina Bethell to parents is to use the moments of your day to be present and caring with your child and helping children talk about their feelings and problems. You can do it whenever you want, ask about what they’re experiencing and feeling. Children feeling safe and supported leads to them flourishing. And every person in a child’s life has that power to connect and support, she says.

In conclusion, little moments like reading or simply being able to have someone there to support you can make a big difference. To all of the parents out there, it is very important to make your child feel loved and special