skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

As Elon Musk looks on, Trump says he's giving DOGE even more power; Officials monitor latest AR bird flu outbreak; NV lawmaker proposes new date for Indigenous Peoples Day; NM lawmaker says journalists of all stripes need protection; Closure of EPA branch would harm VA environment.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A court weighs the right of New York City noncitizens to vote in local elections, Vice President Vance suggests courts can't overrule a president, and states increasingly challenge the validity of student IDs at the ballot box.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Medical debt, which tops $90 billion has an outsized impact on rural communities, a new photography book shares the story of 5,000 schools built for Black students between 1912 and 1937, and anti-hunger advocates champion SNAP.

Study: Most high school students say they have had a traumatic experience

play audio
Play

Wednesday, October 30, 2024   

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show three of every four high school students nationwide said they have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience, including witnessing domestic violence in the home, parental separation or physical and sexual abuse, among others.

Research has shown the experiences, called ACEs, can alter a child's brain chemistry and produce a prolonged, sometimes lifelong, toxic stress response.

Joe Bargione, a certified school psychologist and executive committee member of the Bounce Coalition, a Kentucky ACEs advocacy group, said the national data support the trends among youth in the Commonwealth.

"We're seeing some of the same kinds of patterns," Bargione outlined. "That increased sense of loneliness, isolation in our youth, increased levels of suicidal ideation, exposure to violence, exposure to other adverse childhood experiences."

Experiencing at least one ACE as a child is linked to having alcohol and substance use problems as an adult, as well as chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Childhood trauma costs states. According to the National Governor's Associations, adults with ACEs can lead to billions of dollars in health care costs and lost productivity.

Bargione added schools can help address the youth mental health crisis by cultivating a sense of belonging and connectedness, as well as increasing suicide prevention programs.

"Promoting mental health awareness in schools," Bargione urged. "Teaching kids around social emotional learning and dealing with their emotions in an effective way, increased mental health services."

He pointed out recent changes to state law now require school districts to create trauma-informed plans.

"Creating those trauma-informed care plans and then reviewing those annually by the Kentucky Department of Education and also the General Assembly is really, I think, a great way to see what's working, what's not working," Bargione explained.

Statewide, one in five children has already experienced at least two ACEs, according to Kentucky Youth Advocates.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
With the inclusion of workforce certificates and certifications, Ohio's overall rate of educational attainment has increased by 18.1% since 2009. (Adobe Stock)

play sound

According to research from Lumina Foundation, the rate of U.S. high school seniors seeking higher education is on the upswing. Although Ohio student …


play sound

Lawmakers in Michigan have introduced a package of bills designed to lower costs and expand health care access. Senate Bill 3 would create a …

Environment

play sound

The push to reintroduce southern sea otters to greater sections of the California and Oregon coast is getting a big boost from a $1.56 million grant f…


The 'piece rate' system can determine a slaughterhouse worker's pay based on their production output, or how many pieces of meat they are able to process during their shift. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Nina B. Elkadi for Sentient.Broadcast version by Judith Ruiz-Branch for Illinois News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service …

Environment

play sound

Minnesota is giving its water quality standards a fresh look. With public input in their hands, officials are under pressure to add language about …

Indigenous Peoples' Day was first proposed in 1977 by a delegation of Native Nations to the United Nations during an international conference. (Joy Fera/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Nevada's only sitting Indigenous legislator has introduced a bill to recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day on what she calls the "correct day," the second…

Environment

play sound

The Trump administration has started dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency's office dealing with reducing environmental harms to minority an…

Environment

play sound

The Trump administration has begun to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency's office dealing with reducing environmental harms to minority and…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021