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Articles on Childhood adversity

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Recent advances in research on human development, and brain science in particular, have revealed that traumatic childhood literally changes the human body, affecting brain development. (Shutterstock)

There is an urgent need to prevent the lifelong damage caused by adverse childhood experiences

The impact of early childhood trauma on lifelong physical and mental health makes it urgent to invest in programs to support healthy pregnancies and stable, caring very early childhoods.
A study found that 22.8% of college students had experienced at least four adverse childhood experiences. Carol Yepes/Getty Images

Effects of childhood adversity linger during college years

Multiple difficult childhood experiences can lead to depression and anxiety during college, research has found. Lack of support often makes things worse.
Stressors put on children and adolescents as a result of the pandemic response may have long-lasting effects on their health and well-being. (Shutterstock)

The long-term biological effects of COVID-19 stress on kids’ future health and development

The pandemic response has put the long-term health and well-being of children and adolescents at risk, with the possibility of seismic shifts in population health if we do not act.
We like to narrate our lives in terms of the challenges we’ve confronted and the setbacks we’ve overcome. frankie's/shutterstock.com

Do we actually grow from adversity?

We like to think there’s a silver lining to tragedy – and this may be influencing both how studies on post-traumatic growth are constructed and how subjects are responding.
Students’ home and family backgrounds will be factored into their SAT scores. Monkey Business Images/www.shutterstock.com

The SAT’s new ‘adversity score’ is a poor fix for a problematic test

The College Board is adding a new ‘adversity score’ to the SAT to take students’ socioeconomic backgrounds into account. Will the move correct long-standing disparities in the college entrance exam?
Bubble-wrapping children doesn’t work. They need to experience mild adversity, to know how to overcome it when they inevitably face it in life. (Shutterstock)

From playground risks to college admissions: Failure helps build kids’ resilience

Paying to get your kids into prestigious universities is an example of a ‘bulldozer parenting’ trend, which reduces exposure to failure and can lead to mental health difficulties.

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