When Psychology meets Social Policy: Why we should care about keeping Children Safe and Nurtured.

When Psychology meets Social Policy: Why we should care about keeping Children Safe and Nurtured.

With the looming elections – municipally, provincially and federally – I thought it would be timely to consider how psychology can help us understand why well-informed social policy is vital, not only to healthy people but for a healthy society. The psychology of an individual is impossible to understand outside the context of that individual’s environment. The area of child development and adverse experiences in childhood can offer a window into the unique relationship between nature and nurture.

When we look at the two extreme views of trauma, and more specifically childhood trauma, we tend to conceptualize it like this: either it is very much up to the individual or the individual has very little control. The first view tends to focus on factors such as taking a stand on not being a victim, working hard to “overcome adverse” experiences, understanding the experience of others through one’s own experience, and judging the individual based on outcome rather than looking at cause and environmental factors. The other extreme is to see people as helpless victims who have little control over their lives. This view can result in individuals being stuck in the victim role and feeling little control for their own autonomy. These two extreme views are simple and tend to come out of our intuitive sense rather than looking at the reality of what the science says. Not surprisingly, both views can be problematic, and the reality is typically much more interdependent and complex.

What is the reality? How people understand the world and their experience happens in the context in which they are experiencing them. The context is your home, neighbourhood, city, country. Context is also the people in your environment and how they see the world and cope. Most people now understand that childhood is a time of greater vulnerability to adverse experiences and a time for neuroplasticity and adaptation. Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) can include:

• Physical, sexual or emotional abuse.
• Physical or emotional neglect.
• Household dysfunction
• A family member with mental illness.
• A family member addicted to drugs or alcohol.
• A family member who is in prison.
• Witnessing a parent being abused.
• Parental separation or divorce

This list is not exhaustive but outlines the main circumstances that can lead to stress and sometimes poor outcomes. Stress is not a problem but ongoing stress where people have little control can result in bad outcomes. Children are particularly vulnerable because they have little control over many aspects of their lives. What is confusing is the reality that some children seem to come out of adverse experiences and go on to do well (what we typically refer to as “resilience”). Some children have biological resistance to adversity and that, coupled with at least one strong relationship with a supportive adult in the family or community, can make a significant difference. Resilience is a combination of biology and environment. Looking at children who show resilience can help inform policy. What we know to be true is that more barriers and adversity (biologically or in one’s environment) means a greater likelihood of poor health and mental health outcomes.

The CDC-Kaiser Permanete adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study is one of the largest investigations into childhood trauma. The study looked at the long-term affect of adverse experiences on well-being and health later in life in the United States. The findings of the ACE study are striking when looking at the numbers of people who self identify as experiencing one or multiple adverse childhood experiences and when looking at the resulting poor health and psychological outcomes. The ACE Study reveals the relationship between emotional experiences as children and adult physical and emotional health. If you are interested in the specific statistics, they are available online.

ACE is an American study so some of the barriers may be different in Canada. Nonetheless, the findings are so important and shine a light on the importance of providing safe, nurturing environments for children as well as supporting and educating parents. Polices that aim to do this not only provide a better life for children – and ultimately families – but they also reduce costs in health care, social services and education.

As a mental health provider, I ask people about their childhood and consider the impact of early trauma. Being trauma-informed means shifting the focus from “what is wrong with you” to “what happened to you” and understanding that health care providers need to have a complete picture of your past and present. If you have experienced childhood trauma it does not mean you are broken or destined to get “sick”, but it does mean that you need to care more for yourself, look at unhelpful patterns that were once likely adaptive, and stop the unhelpful patterns from the environment you were raised in. The goal is not to blame parents but to understand the impact of how what happened in childhood can be foundational to how you function as an adult. Importantly, we are not helplessly defined by our past and we have the capacity to understand, learn and grow. When we open to the reality of what is, in an allowing way, we can see the potential for understanding and growth- my past is with me, and it does not define me.

I am not a politician or a policy maker, but I care about people. I want life to be as good as it can be for as many people as possible. Initiatives that have as their focus growth, inclusion and helping people to flourish are policies worth investing in. Being informed and farsighted in our expectations will allow for a better society for all. I do the work that I do to play a role in this puzzle. So, on election day(s) be informed about what is being offered and ask questions. Like it or not, we are interconnected and what is good for more people is better for all of us. Children are our future, and we all want healthy futures.

Written by: Alison Campbell, Psychologist with Wildflowers