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Adverse Childhood Experiences: From Cruelty to a Courageous Life [nursingreview.com.au]

 

By Tonia Gillen, Nursing Review, September 24, 2019

The usual connotation of an ‘ace’ is positive. For a card player the ace of spades is traditionally the highest and most valued card in the pack. According to the urban dictionary the term ace describes a person whom you like, often a self-assured confident person, and the term loosely translates as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’. When ace is used as an adjective, the meaning is usually that of ‘cool’ or ‘trendy’. However, there is another reference for an ace where it is not so positive or desirable. In this instance, ACE is an acronym for adverse childhood experience(s). These are negative experiences endured by a child, and broadly include child abuse, neglect and household dysfunction.

The African-American statesman Frederick Douglass (1817-1895) wrote: “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” Although he was referring to the abhorrent slave trade (he had been a slave himself) it is a pertinent statement that resonates today, particularly when we consider the lasting impact of adverse childhood experiences.

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