Like a steady drip, the tally of shootings in Chicago ticks up by the day. As it does, the raw data regularly makes its way to the national media stage—and, at times, even as a mention in the president’s tweets. But the figures alone barely begin to tell the story of the long-term trauma that kids suffer when exposed to such violence.
Health experts are more and more coming to terms with the psychological and physical toll that exposure to violence takes on children—and that toll is quite devastating. Life expectancy, brain development, long-term psychology and more are all "dramatically" impacted by trauma, like that which many kids in Chicago's hardest-hit areas face, according to Colleen Cicchetti, executive director at the Center for Childhood Resilience at Lurie Children's Hospital.
Researchers have recently expanded upon the groundbreaking research of Adverse Childhood Experiences studies from the last 10 to 15 years. People who have suffered more than four traumatic events under the of 18—events which range from parental separation to having an incarcerated household member—have "dramatically increased" likelihoods of both mental and physical trauma. For example, the likelihood of a suicide attempt jumps of 10 times; and the likelihood of being an intravenous drug user jumps up 12 times, Cicchetti said.
You're also twice as likely to develop physical issues—ranging from cancer to stroke to cardiovascular disease—if you top four traumatic events.
[For more of this story, written by Stephen Gossett, go to http://chicagoist.com/2017/03/...g-term_toll_kids.php]
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