Resource Center

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is shining a spotlight on health disparities that have long been overlooked in our society. The intersection between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), longstanding health disparities, and COVID-19 cannot be ignored. The accumulation of traumatic events throughout the childhood and adolescent years can cause toxic stress in the absence of supportive adults. This repetitive activation of the stress response system can be a catalyst to long-term, negative effects on both the body and brain. A major factor to appreciate is that ACEs do not affect all populations equally. ACEs disproportionately affect groups that have been historically oppressed. The current COVID-19 pandemic highlights this point when observing both case rates and fatality rates of the virus and has the potential to create a new series of long-term health conditions that will disproportionately affect marginalized communities. A foundational first and critical step of adopting a trauma-informed approach will help lead to system change, advance equity, and create a setting of mutuality and empowerment for our patients.

Purpose of the study was to estimate the proportion of children with either high levels of ACEs and/or high levels of mental health symptoms who were not receiving services from behavioral health professionals. This cross-sectional study included 11,896 children who participated in 3 National Surveys of Children’s Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV), which were nationally representative surveys conducted in 2008, 2011, and 2014. The surveys entailed telephone interviews with youth aged 10 to 17 years and caregivers of children aged 2 to 9 years. Data were analyzed from February to August 2020.

The paper seeks to explore two primary questions. How was TICB (Trauma Informed Community Building) integrated into practice and how did it support health outcomes for youth, if at all? Second, what are the limitations of the TICB model and is it a sustainable approach to planning for emotion in unruly environments? The article closes with a discussion of the potential contributions and limitations of TICB in engaging historical, structural (systems level) and individual trauma into youth community building.