This paper is an overview of the article “Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults.” The authors of the article state that their work is the adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study. The paper discusses how health risk behavior and various diseases in adults are related to household dysfunction and different types of abuse, including sexual, emotional, and physical abuse, during childhood. A questionnaire of approximately nine thousand adults was used as a background for this study (Felitti et al., 1998). According to the questionnaire results, more than half of participants reported at least one category of childhood exposure, and one-fourth reported two or more such exposures (Felitti et al., 1998). Overall, the article provides evidence of a strong relationship between severe health risks and the breadth of childhood exposure to household dysfunction and abuse.
The article under discussion demonstrates that childhood abuse and household dysfunction can cause critical problems in adulthood. Although exposure to childhood abuse is not an immediate health problem, it can still lead to health risks associated with severe illnesses that are considered the leading causes of death nowadays. I believe that this article proves that childhood abuse and household dysfunction should be thoroughly studied. It is essential to create the most effective prevention measures for the issues under discussion. I think that the article reveals one of the points where the current medicine and medical science converge with the mentioned childhood issues. In addition, after reading the article, I have understood that the scope of issues and risk factors that can cause health problems is extensive. Thus, I think that one of the primary goals of medicine is to consider and investigate as many factors as possible when studying a specific medical issue or treating or diagnosing a patient. This attitude can help solve various medical problems and heal, or even save, many patients.
Reference
Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., Koss, M. P., & Marks, J. S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245–258. Web.