An OSU Center for Health Sciences-based program that supports research into childhood trauma has been awarded a five-year $9.5 million federal grant to expand its work.
The grant, from the National Institutes of Health, will help OSU-CHS’ Center for Integrative Research on Childhood Adversity continue its research into adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, as they are known.
The center was established in 2016 with a five-year NIH grant of $11.3 million. The new grant brings the total federal investment in the effort to over $20 million.
ACEs — which include child abuse and neglect as well as parental mental illness, domestic violence, incarceration, drug or alcohol abuse, and divorce — affect more than 60% of Americans, with Oklahoma holding one of the highest rates of ACEs in the U.S., officials said.
Dr. Jennifer Hays-Grudo, center director, said the initial funding helped to establish the infrastructure to support ACEs research.
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The new grant will build on that, she said, “by growing and strengthening a sustainable center that supports researchers with the mentoring and research core support to study the effects of ACEs on multiple biological and behavioral systems and identify more effective ways to prevent and treat the effects of ACEs.”
It’s estimated that ACEs cost North America more than $750 billion a year in preventable health care costs.
“ACEs are a leading public health problem, contributing to poor mental and physical health, substance use and other health-harming behaviors that are often generationally transmitted,” Hays-Grudo said.
“In order to reduce the harmful effects, research is needed that better explains how childhood adversity affects developing neurobiological systems and how protective experiences can buffer those effects.”
Breaking the Cycle: The Tulsa World’s 8-day series on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Oklahoma ranks high for several social ills that have been linked to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) scores. A few examples:
No. 1 in female incarceration rates
No. 1 in the nation in incarceration rates when other factors such as the juvenile and jail populations are included, according to a 2018 study by the nonprofit organization Prison Policy Initiative.
No. 1 in heart-disease mortality
No. 2 in male incarceration rates
No. 3 in divorce with 13.1% of the state population reporting at least one marriage as ending in that manner, according to U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey statistics for 2013-17.
No. 5 in cancer deaths per capita, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
No. 5 in teen smoking with an estimated 12.5% of teens, according to CDC data.
No. 9 per capita in substantiated child abuse cases, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Tulsa World ACEs advisory board
A group of Tulsa’s leading experts on childhood trauma served as advisers to the Tulsa World’s reporting team.
Kristin Atchley, former executive director of counseling at the State Department of Education
Dr. Gerard Clancy, University of Tulsa president, psychiatrist (pictured)
Joe Dorman, former legislator and CEO of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy
Judge Doris Fransein, retired District Court chief juvenile judge
Deidra Kirtley, Resonance Center for Women executive director
Gail Lapidus, CEO of Family and Children’s Services
Suzann Stewart, Family Safety Center executive director
Julie Summers, director of outreach and prevention at Mental Health Association of Oklahoma
Kristin Atchley uses past trauma to advocate for children dealing with adverse conditions
Podcast: Listen to story behind the Tulsa World special report on Adverse Childhood Experiences
The podcast, hosted by Matt Gleason with the Mental Health Association Oklahoma, includes interviews with three people who played key roles in the series.
Lucinda Morte is a mental health professional who has a relatively high ACE score herself.
Donavon Ramsey is a resilient 19-year-old with a high ACE score and plenty of heartbreaking stories.
Ashley Parrish, the Tulsa World’s deputy managing editor who oversaw the year-long process to make the Breaking the Cycle series a reality.
“The Mental Health Download” shares stories each month about mental illness, homelessness, incarceration and suicide, and how each can impact our lives in a profound way.
