出版社：Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, Department of Social Work
摘要： The importance of early life experiences is indisputable for the later life of an individual. Adverse life events in childhood can often be indicative of changes and difficulties which arise later in life. The aim of this paper is to examine how modern research defines adverse childhood experiences and how it relates them to later biological, psychological and social changes that are not present in people without such experiences. Adverse childhood experiences are considered to be a set of factors derived from studying persons exposed to adverse events during the first 18 years of life, who have usually experienced abuse and who have been exposed to household and family dysfunction. In order to obtain the desired findings, we have studied approximately 80 papers that deal with the topic. Research findings indicate that individuals who have been exposed to some form of adverse childhood experiences are more likely to experience various difficulties in adulthood, such as mental disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, premature death, addiction, risky health and sexual behaviours, self-destructive behaviour, committing violence and poor social functioning. These findings offer an insight into the importance of preventing adverse childhood experiences, raising awareness of their interactions, strengthening the system of family protection, as well as the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to working with vulnerable populations.
