Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are tough things that can happen early in life, like abuse, neglect, and family struggles. Researchers have observed that these kinds of experiences can lead to a higher chance of facing physical and mental health problems later in life. The original ACEs study involved over 17,000 people in California, connecting their early life challenges with later health issues. It found that the more ACEs someone had, the higher the chance of facing problems like chronic diseases and mental health issues in adulthood. Third Culture Kids are no exception. Understanding what a TCK has gone through can be crucial to understanding why they are suffering the way they are now, in their body or in their mental health.
Take a look at the ACEs here: Any of these can happen to TCKs, and if this list was made in say, Ethiopia, Burma, Sudan, or Indonesia there might be additional categories of ACEs. Here is a list focused on traumatic experiences, which includes some other things TCKs might experience that aren’t mentioned on the ACEs list, like war, and having someone close to them die suddenly or violently.
Moving around the world can be a rough ride, but it’s not just external events that cause pain. Many of the Adverse Experiences TCKs say they experienced are things that happened within the family, they can happen anywhere in the world, even if you don’t move. In 2021, an organization called TCK Training did a study of 1,904 Adult TCKs and observed that these TCKs reported “very high levels of emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and household mental illness.” This means that it is not just the on-the-news types of adverse and traumatic experiences that cause TCKs to struggle, but problems in the family too.
Family therapy for TCKs and their parents can help address both pain from what has happened inside the family and what has happened to the family. Out of the ACEs study’s confirmation of the connection between early emotional pain and health problems later in life came motivation to intervene. If you know a TCK who has gone through adverse or traumatic experiences, they can benefit from talking about it, even if they are not struggling terribly now. Research has shown* that counseling can be a way to unpack and address these adverse childhood experiences so that they do not cause health or mental health problems later in life. Talking with a TCK specialist therapist can be especially beneficial because you know that the mobile, cross cultural aspect of your and your family’s experience will be part of the conversation.
*This review-of-the-research study observed that there is particularly strong evidence for the effectiveness of CBT for those who have experienced abuse. This is Brianna’s area of specialty.
Want to start talking about something you went through as a TCK, or get help for your family? Reach out here.
Sources:
ACES List from ACESAware.org
Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen from International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
Photo by John Thomas on Unsplash
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