According to 2012 data from the federal government, one in four children in Ohio have experienced two or more so called 鈥渁dverse experiences.鈥� These are things that can range from poverty or abuse to parental divorce or incarceration. Mental health professionals say these are also the types of experiences that can put a child at risk for something known as 鈥渢oxic stress.鈥�
As part of the ideastream series Healthy Beginnings, associate producer Stephanie Jarvis delves further into the issue of toxic stress and explores its impact on one local family.
This reporting is part of the Be Well series, Healthy People, Healthy Places 鈥� Healthy Beginnings. We followed up with an in-depth conversation on . Tune in on Friday, July 1st to ideas at 8:30pm as we dive deeper into the story on television. That airs on WVIZ/PBS.
鈥淩eady for your next turn?鈥�
鈥淵ep,six. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6鈥︹��
Eight- year old Brandon advances six spots on what looks like a typical board game.
鈥淪o this one says if you have felt alone lately, go to the desert.鈥�
But it鈥檚 not monopoly or a game of clue Brandon鈥檚 playing as he moves his game piece to the part of the board marked desert.
鈥淪o when have you felt alone?鈥�
鈥淯m鈥� I felt alone when my mom and everyone else left me at the house for the rest of the day.鈥�
鈥淲hen you were alone at the house? Yea, how did that make you feel?鈥�
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 care鈥︹��
Brandon鈥檚 just a few minutes into his weekly session with OhioGuidestone therapist, Heidi Corso. The two have been working together for a year and a half.
鈥淗e was in a very toxic environment,鈥� says Corso. 鈥淧retty significant.. very physical a lot of weapons. Pretty scary stuff for him. Very stressful.鈥�
鈥淭hese experiences that they have over those first years can play a critical role in their developmental trajectories,鈥� says Professor Charles Nelson from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.
He says when children experience things like domestic violence; physical or sexual abuse; neglect; live with a parent abusing drugs or alcohol; or undergo other traumatic events, they can be at risk for toxic stress.
鈥淭he distinction between tolerable stress and toxic stress often has to do with the lack or the presence of a buffering relationship,鈥� explains Nelson. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 clearly a stressful experience, a lot of arguing screaming, hitting things like that鈥nd there鈥檚 a lack of a supportive relationship, that combination is what we usually think of as toxic stress.鈥�
Described as the body鈥檚 response to negative events or experiences that are either powerful, repeated, or prolonged - toxic stress can put a child at risk for early mental health issues. It can also have an effect on a person鈥檚 mental and physical well-being over a lifetime.
鈥淲hat happens that in all cases when confronted with a threat, our body releases a stress hormone that can have an impact on the brain,鈥� Nelson says. 鈥淏ut the concern is, under cases of toxic stress it happens repeatedly and chronically. And the brain starts to be negatively impacted and then permanently impacted by exposure to this hormone.鈥�
Two years ago after Brandon was placed in foster care, his great aunt, Teri Willette, took legal custody of him.
鈥淚 had raised my four kids from birth, so I had the early start with them,鈥� Teri remarks. 鈥淗im coming at five with his issues was a lot more than I expected. He was a very angry kid. He鈥� didn鈥檛 know how to be sometimes, except for angry at things. With the help of the therapy and everything like that, we鈥檝e done a tremendous turnaround.鈥�
Brandon鈥檚 therapy sessions with Heidi Corso are designed to help him learn strategies for coping with his anger and expressing his feelings. Corso says she also works one-on-one with Willette to help her learn how to be an understanding and strong caregiver.
鈥淪he really cares about Brandon. She really understood the impact of what he had been through and really wanted to understand that at a deeper level,鈥� explains Corso. 鈥淎nd working with me and processing how that affects him and really trying to understand that and not get frustrated with his behaviors. So she would not only process with me in the session but she would follow through in between appointments and really work on those suggestions and those things and that鈥檚 what really helped.鈥�
Additional Information & Resources:
Toxic Stress, as defined by Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child, involves the "strong, frequent, and/or prolonged adversity -- such as physical or emotional abuse, chronic neglect, caregiver substance abuse or mental illness, exposure to violence, and/or the accumulated burdens of family economic hardship -- without adequate adult support. This kind of prolonged activation of the stress response systems can disrupt the development of brain architecture and other organ systems and increase the risk for stress-related disease and cognitive impairment, well into the adult."
Dr. Ben Kearney, a psychologist from OhioGuidestone, explains more about toxic stress and its impact .