A statewide coalition of groups and people who want West Virginians to understand the connection between childhood trauma and health outcomes later, such as addiction, released a report last week that showed traumatic childhood experiences are common among West Virginians.
The report found that 55.8 percent of West Virginia adults reported at least one “adverse childhood experience,” with the most common being substance abuse in the household, and the authors noted that people who report higher numbers of adverse childhood experiences are also more likely to develop their own problems with substance abuse.
Adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse, neglect, growing up with an incarcerated parent or the loss of a parent, “can lead to a physiological response in our bodies, which increases risks of many health issues,” according to the report.
[For more on this story by Erin Beck, go to https://www.wvgazettemail.com/...a1-4f162656ba7e.html]
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