Picture screenshot from www.ted.com 12th December, 2019.
ACEs and IMH: A Selection of Online Resources
As an intern for Perspectives, my first task included developing a resource list for the upcoming special issue on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Infant Mental Health (IMH). Holding in mind that subscriptions to journals and reading through academic literature is often a costly and time-consuming exercise, my goal was to find resources that can:
a) Be accessed for free; and
b) Provide reliable content as evidenced by references to salient research in the field.
There is a wealth of information on ACEs freely available online. Therefore, the resources I selected are not exhaustive but can be viewed as a starting point. I included resources that offer a variety of multimedia formats on the content. The table below provides a link and a description of the resources I have selected.
Highlighting some of the resources, I particularly enjoyed the TED Talk on Adverse Childhood Experiences by Dr Nadine Burke-Harris who speaks on “How Childhood Trauma Affects Health across a Lifetime”. The talk is 16 minutes long and gives a vibrant and evocative overview on ACEs, and perhaps can be a starting point to a conversation on the link between ACEs and IMH.
Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website presents ACEs in graphics including a snapshot of the prevalence of ACEs by category for CDC-Kaiser ACE study participants, Waves 1 and Waves 2.
In addition, websites are noted that provide free toolkits in assessing and working with individuals, families and infants who have been impacted by ACEs.
Lastly, there is a link to a Journals blog which taps into the conversations taking place on the generational effect on offspring of parents who experienced ACEs growing up. I hope that this resource list and this Special Issue as a whole, can add to this important subject.
| Website | Description |
| https://www.ted.com/ Nadine Burke Harris: How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime? |
TED Talk on ACEs by Dr Nadine Burke-Harris entitled “How Childhood Trauma Affects Health across a Lifetime”. |
| https://www.cdc.gov/ Adverse Childhood Experiences Presentation Graphics |
CDC website – Adverse Childhood Experiences Presentation Graphics. Includes a snapshot of the prevalence of ACEs by Category for CDC-Kaiser ACE Study Participants, Waves 1 and Waves 2. |
| https://www.cahmi.org/ ACEs Resource Packet: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Basics |
ACEs Resource Packet:
1. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Basics; |
| https://www.who.int/ Violence and Injury Prevention Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) |
WHO page on Violence and Injury Prevention that include the ACEs International Questionnaire. |
| https://www.acesconnection.com/ | Resource website offering information, support and webinar training. |
| https://www.iowaaces360.org/ Resiliency toolkit |
ACEs Response Toolkit which includes a wealth of links for individuals, communities and professionals. |
| https://www.aappublications.org/ When Parents Have Experienced Their Own Adverse Childhood Experiences, What are the Effect on Their Children? |
Journals Blog: When Parents Have Experienced Their Own Adverse Childhood Experiences, What are the Effect on Their Children? |
As a result of this preliminary online search for publicly available material I note that there is a need for more resources that specifically link ACEs and IMH.
This list is a beginning and can easily be added to. As such, I would like to invite readers to be in touch with the Editors to contribute to this list which can be continuously updated as new information comes our way.
Authors
Salisha Maharaj (South Africa) (WAIMH Perspectives Intern)
