Sarah Breithaupt: Pandemic years have hit teens hard, especially in DuPage County. But there’s reason to hope.
Chicago Tribune
May 10, 2022 at 12:36 pm
Rarely has an entire population of young people suffered collectively with what is known as an adverse childhood experience, or ACE, a traumatic event with potentially lasting impacts on mental and physical health.
It is safe to say the COVID-19 pandemic is the latest adverse experience shared by many people, joining such historical events as the Sept. 11 attacks, the Great Depression and both world wars. Typically, ACEs are experienced individually or within families, such as domestic violence, neglect and parents who divorce, die or abuse substances.
While the immediate effects of such experiences can be sudden, traumatic and disruptive, the long-range effects are less well known and slowly revealed. Many adults point to ACEs as the reason for personal and lifelong challenges...