Childhood Trauma Is a Global Mental Health Crisis, Researchers Warn

A survey of more than 16,000 youth across three countries shows a clear link between adverse experiences and mental illness.

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A new article published in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health finds that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are common in Kenya, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

The research, led by Yohannes Dibaba Wado from the African Population and Health Research Center, additionally finds that ACEs are associated with adolescents’ mental health issues in all three countries. This was especially true for adolescents who reported four or more ACEs.

The authors write:

“Overall, the findings of the current study demonstrate that ACEs are common among adolescents in Kenya, Indonesia, and Vietnam, albeit with significant differences in prevalence between all three countries. Further, these findings show that despite differences in prevalence, ACEs are associated with increased odds of mental disorders in all three countries. As such, prevention or minimization of the number of ACEs experienced by an individual may be an effective approach for reducing the risk of mental disorders in adolescence.”

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Richard Sears
Richard Sears teaches psychology at West Georgia Technical College and is studying to receive a PhD in consciousness and society from the University of West Georgia. He has previously worked in crisis stabilization units as an intake assessor and crisis line operator. His current research interests include the delineation between institutions and the individuals that make them up, dehumanization and its relationship to exaltation, and natural substitutes for potentially harmful psychopharmacological interventions.

1 COMMENT

  1. “Childhood trauma is a global mental health crisis, researchers warn” – so much irony in this statement. First of all we are calling childhood trauma itself a mental health crisis. It isn’t obviously – trauma is the mark of an injury, so to imply their mind has an illness is absurd, unless an animal is mentally ill when it’s been traumatised through abuse. Secondly you call childhood trauma a global mental health phenomena, which if it is then it is a ubiquitous fact of life in modern global existence rather then some kind of pathology as implied by the notion of mental illness so why do you and they keep pathologizing a rising tide of global and social childhood suffering? My goodness, this and the last research article on childhood medicating being chosen over therapy are such a slide from the salient and important long-term outcome studies and cross-cultural studies that Robert Whitaker drew on and listed in his book called Mad In America. Now you’re retreating right back into your trenches because of all the hostile fire and are throwing out nothing burgers instead. You are merely psychiatric commentary in these two articles – you could be writing some student psychiatry magazine at some psychiatric department and University for trainee psychiatrists to read. Can’t wait till the next research article. I’m write my response in advance. “Bucket! Quick! I’m gonna be sick! Oh too late, stop: grab a mop.”

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