By Leslie Davis

Experiencing a number of childhood stressors can harm the development of a child's brain and nervous system, leading to life-long health problems and diseases - and even premature death.

A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine determined that children exposed to six or more "adverse childhood experiences" (ACEs) were at twice the risk of premature death compared to children who had not suffered those experiences. The study was based on questionnaires given to more than 17,000 adults who visited Kaiser Permanente between 1995 and 1997, and looked at the long-term effects of the following ACEs:

    * Undergoing verbal or physical abuse
    * Having a battered mother and witnessing domestic violence
    * Living in a household with substance abuse or mental illness
    * Have an incarcerated household member
    * Having parents who are separated or divorced

"Overall, 1,539 people died during follow-up," said David W. Brown, D.Sc., the study's lead author and an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "People with six or more ACEs died nearly 20 years earlier on average than those without ACEs. It is also disturbing that two-thirds of study participants - persons who were relatively well off - had at least one of the ACEs."

Children at the highest risk lived to an average age of 60, while those who were low risk lived to nearly 80, according to the study.

"It is important to understand that consequences to childhood trauma can extend over an individual's life," Brown said.

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