Living A Secret A Resource for Survivors of Incest and Sexual Abuse

Phenomenological Investigation of Healthy Adult Survivors of Adverse Childhood Experiences

The question of what determines adult health and well-being is important to all countries. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study is a major American research project that poses the question whether, and how, childhood experiences affect adult health decades later. This question is being answered with the ongoing collaboration of Robert Anda, M.D. at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Vincent Felitti, M.D., with Kaiser Permanente’s Department of Preventive Medicine in San Diego, California. The findings from the ACE studies have provided remarkable insights into how we become what we are as individuals and as a nation. The ACE Studies have revealed a powerful relationship between our emotional experiences as children and our physical and mental health as adults, as well as the major causes of adult mortality in the United States.

This investigation is seeking to briefly interview women over 45 years of age who:

Score 4 or more on the brief Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study Questionnaire (SEE BELOW).

AND, HAVE NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH:

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Any form of Cancer
Ischemic Heart Disease
Stroke
Chronic Bronchitis or Emphysema
Diabetes
Frequent Skeletal Fractures
Hepatitis or Jaundice
Chronic Enduring Depression

AND, DO NOT HAVE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING HEALTH BEHAVIOR RISK FACTORS:

Smoke
Intravenous Drug Use
One or more Suicide Attempts
Chemical Dependency
Sexually Transmitted Disease
Sexually Promiscuous

ACE STUDY QUESTIONAIRE:

While you were growing up, during your first 18 years of life:

1. Did a parent or other adult In the household often or very often…
Swear at you, insult you, put you down, or humiliate you? OR
Act in a way that made you afraid that you might be physically hurt?

Yes__________ No__________

2. Did a parent or other adult in the household often or very often…
Push, grab, slap, or throw something at you? OR
Ever hit you so hard that you had marks or were injured?

Yes__________ No__________

3. Did an adult or person at least 5 years older than you ever…
Touch or fondle you or have you touch their body in a sexual way? OR
Attempt or actually have oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse with you?

Yes__________ No__________

4. Did you often or very often feel that…
No one in your family loved you or thought you were important or special? OR
Your family didn’t look out for each other, feel close to each other, or support each other?

Yes__________ No__________

5. Did you often or very often feel that…
You didn’t have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, and had no one to protect you? OR
Your parents were too drunk or high to take care of you or take you to the doctor if you needed it?

Yes__________ No__________

6. Were your parents ever separated or divorced?

Yes__________ No__________

7. Was your mother or stepmother:
Often or very often pushed, grabbed, slapped, or had something thrown at her? OR
Sometimes, often or very often kicked, bitten, hit with a fist, or hit with something hard? OR
Ever repeatedly hit at least a few minutes or threatened with a gun or knife?

Yes__________ No__________

8. Did you live with anyone who was a problem drinker or alcoholic or who used street drugs?
Yes__________ No__________

9. Was a household member depressed or mentally ill, or did a household member attempt suicide?

Yes__________ No__________

10. Did a household member go to prison?

Yes__________ No__________

NOW ADD UP YOUR “YES” ANSWERS:__________ THIS IS YOUR ACE SCORE.