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🛡️ Trauma & Resilience
What is your ACE score?
Adverse Childhood Experiences — the 10-question test.
Answer for your first 18 years. Select Yes (5) or No (1) for each.
1A parent or adult often swore at, insulted, or put you down.
2A parent or adult often pushed, grabbed, slapped, or hit you.
3An adult ever touched you sexually or made you touch them.
4You often felt that no one in your family loved or supported you.
5You often didn't have enough to eat, wore dirty clothes, or had no one to protect you.
6Your parents were separated or divorced.
7Your mother or stepmother was physically abused.
8A household member had a problem with alcohol or drugs.
9A household member was depressed, mentally ill, or attempted suicide.
10A household member went to prison.
The ACE Study: landmark research
The Adverse Childhood Experiences study (Felitti et al. 1998, CDC-Kaiser Permanente) surveyed 17,337 adults and changed our understanding of childhood trauma's lifelong impact.
Score interpretation (each Yes = 1 ACE point)
- 0: No adverse experiences (36% of population)
- 1-3: Some adversity — increased risk but manageable
- 4+: High ACE score — significantly elevated health risks
- 6+: Very high — life expectancy reduced by ~20 years on average
What the data shows
- ACE score of 4+ increases depression risk by 460%
- ACE 4+ increases suicide attempt risk by 1,220%
- 64% of adults have at least 1 ACE; 12.5% have 4+
- ACEs are not destiny — resilience, therapy, and social support are protective factors
- The study found a dose-response relationship: more ACEs = worse outcomes across all measures
Note: This quiz may bring up difficult memories. If you need support, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call/text 988) or Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741).
Sources: Felitti et al. (1998, original ACE study), CDC (2019, ACE data), Hughes et al. (2017, systematic review).