By Brittany T. Smith, BS. Brittany is a Ph.D. student at the WVU School of Public Health in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Her primary research interest is in adverse childhood experiences and children who experience parental substance use. The research work she has done has been presented at state, national, and international conferences.
Over the years Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and their consequences on health have become more well known. ACEs are potentially traumatic events that occur before someone turns 18 years old. These experiences typically include experiences of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction and are linked to many negative health outcomes. Recently, adverse babyhood experiences (ABEs) have expanded on what is known about childhood adversity. ABEs are ten categories of negative events that happen to a mother before she conceives a child and the negative events that occur during pregnancy, labor, and up to the child’s third birthday. Like ACEs, ABEs are linked to chronic illness, like asthma, depression, diabetes, obesity, stroke, and coronary heart disease. However, these illnesses can be prevented or reduced proving ABEs to be a great target for early interventions. Preventing and/or repairing ABEs is also a way to decrease the risk of a child experiencing ACEs. Research has shown that when adversity occurs during certain time periods it can result in more severe delays and illness. This is one reason ABE research has become an area of interest, it targets a critical time period in child development.
The ten categories of ABEs are:
- Maternal Loss-Trauma
- Lack of Support
- Emotional Stress
- Physical Stress/Illness
- Maternal Complications
- Mother Baby Separation
- Low or High Birth Weight
- Difficulty Breastfeeding
- Early Symptoms of Mental Health Illness and Disconnection.
Mothers who are in recovery from substance use disorder and their infants may have an increased risk for experiencing ABEs. For example, studies have shown that women in SUD treatment have experienced high levels of trauma. Also, infants born to mothers with SUD have the chance to be diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome and other complication that can result in maternal separation. These experiences are not the fault of the mother or child and should not be seen as something for mothers to be ashamed. There are evidence-based practices that can prevent and/or heal ABEs and ACEs, such as prenatal support, skin to skin contact, and low intensity medical interventions. More information and material on ABE can be found below.
1. Mead VP. Adverse Babyhood Experiences (ABEs) Increase Risk for Infant and Maternal Morbidity and Mortality, and Chronic Illness. Journal of Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health. 2020;34(4):285-317.Ask A Question
Na Brittany T. Smith, BS. Brittany ni mwanafunzi wa PhD katika Shule ya Afya ya Umma ya WVU katika Idara ya Sayansi ya Jamii na Tabia. Maslahi yake ya msingi ya utafiti ni katika uzoefu mbaya wa utotoni na watoto ambao hupata matumizi ya dawa za kulevya ya wazazi. Kazi ya utafiti amefanya imekuwa iliyotolewa katika jimbo, kitaifa, na mikutano ya kimataifa. Kwa miaka mingi, uzoefu mbaya wa utotoni na matokeo yake kwa afya yamekuwa maarufu zaidi. Madhara ya ACE ni matukio ya hatari ya kuumiza ambayo hutokea kabla ya mtu kufikia umri wa miaka 18. Maono haya kwa kawaida ni pamoja na uzoefu wa unyanyasaji, kupuuzwa, na dysfunction ya nyumbani na ni kushikamana na matokeo mengi hasi ya afya. Majaribio mabaya ya utotoni (ABE) ni moja ya mambo ya kawaida ambayo hufanywa na watoto. ABE ni aina kumi za matukio mabaya ambayo hutokea kwa mama kabla ya kumzaa mtoto na matukio mabaya ambayo hutokea wakati wa ujauzito, kuzaa, na hadi siku ya kuzaliwa ya tatu ya mtoto. Kama ACE, ACE ina uhusiano na magonjwa ya muda mrefu kama vile pumu, kushuka moyo, kisukari, unene, kiharusi, na ugonjwa wa moyo. Hata hivyo, magonjwa haya yanaweza kuzuiwa au kupunguzwa, na hivyo kuthibitisha kuwa ABEs ni lengo kubwa kwa ajili ya uingiliaji wa mapema. Kuondoa au kupunguza athari za AED ni njia ya kupunguza hatari ya mtoto kupata ugonjwa wa AED. Utafiti umeonyesha kwamba wakati matatizo yanapotokea katika vipindi fulani vya wakati, yanaweza kusababisha ucheleweshaji mkubwa zaidi na magonjwa. Kwa sababu hii, utafiti wa ABE umekuwa eneo la maslahi, unaelekeza kipindi muhimu cha wakati katika maendeleo ya mtoto. Aina kumi za ABEs ni: - Maternal Loss-Trauma - Ukosefu wa Msaada - Mkazo wa Kihisabati - Mkazo wa Kimwili - Maternal Complications - Mama-Kutenganishwa kwa Mtoto - Uzito wa Chini au wa Juu wa Kuzaliwa - Ugumu wa Kunyonyesha - Dalili za Mapema za Ugonjwa wa Afya ya Akili na Kutengwa. Mama ambao ni katika kupona kutoka kwa tatizo la matumizi ya dawa na watoto wao wanaweza kuwa na hatari ya kuongezeka kwa uzoefu wa ABEs. Kwa mfano, uchunguzi umeonyesha kwamba wanawake wanaopatiwa matibabu ya SUD wamepatwa na majeraha mengi. Watoto wanaozaliwa na mama wenye ugonjwa wa SUD wanaweza kuugua ugonjwa wa kuepuka mimba na matatizo mengine ambayo yanaweza kusababisha kutenganishwa kwa mama. "Hiyo sio kosa la mama au mtoto na haipaswi kuonekana kama kitu ambacho mama anapaswa kuaibika.""" Kuna mbinu za msingi za ushahidi ambazo zinaweza kuzuia na au kuponya ABS na ACE, kama vile msaada wa kabla ya kuzaliwa, kuwasiliana na ngozi kwa ngozi, na uingiliaji wa matibabu wa kiwango cha chini. Maelezo zaidi na vifaa juu ya ABE vinaweza kupatikana hapa chini. 1. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli Mead VP. Uzoefu mbaya wa utotoni (ABE) huongeza hatari ya ugonjwa na vifo vya watoto wachanga na wa mama, na magonjwa ya muda mrefu. Jarida la Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health. 2020;34 (4): 285-317.Obuza Swali