Funded Projects

Rooted in Resilience

Project Year

2023

City & State

Los Angeles, California

Program Name

CATCH Resident

Topic

Health Education & Prevention

Program Description

Problem: My project entitled, “Rooted in Resilience,” addresses the problem of the prevalence and detrimental effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs are defined as stressful or traumatic events that occur prior to 18 years old. ACEs can include physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; physical and emotional neglect; and household dysfunction such as parental mental illness, parental substance abuse, parental separation or divorce, incarceration, and intimate partner violence. Data: ACEs are prevalent. The 1998 CDC-Kaiser ACE Study found that nearly 66% of respondents reported at least one ACE and more than 12% reported four or more ACEs. Subsequent and more representative studies have found ACEs to be even more common with 16% of adults across the nation and 16.3% of adults in California reporting four or more ACEs. Although ACEs are common across all populations, some groups are more vulnerable to ACEs given their social and economic circumstances. For example, research has found 69% of Californians enrolled in Medi-Cal have experienced at least one ACE and 23% have experienced four or more ACEs. ACEs can have significant lasting effects on an individual’s physical, mental, and emotional health. ACEs have been associated with chronic medical diseases, mental health problems, substance abuse, learning and developmental problems, poor academic achievement, unemployment, food and housing insecurity, and unhealthy relationships. Research has shown that there is a dose-response effect, meaning the more ACEs a child experiences, the more likely he or she is to experience poor outcomes. For example, an individual with four or more ACEs has double the risk of heart disease and triple the risk of chronic lung disease as compared to someone without ACEs. The Project's Goals: 1. Define adverse childhood experiences and their impact on health. 2. Identify high school student participants at risk for developing toxic stress. 3. Implement new resilience strategies to mitigate the short- and long-term negative effects of trauma. Proposed Intervention: The project utilizes primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies to promote awareness, early detection, and early intervention. Specifically, the project consists of five resiliency training sessions which aim to educate at-risk, male high school students about the prevalence and the detrimental effects of ACEs; encourage self-reflection; and foster life-long, positive resiliency skills. The project also entails administering the Teen Self-Report Pediatric ACEs and Related Life Events Screener to 82 eleventh grade student participants to identify children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences and to subsequently offer anticipatory guidance, education, and appropriate resources (i.e., referrals to mental health, healthcare, and social services) to those who have experienced trauma to minimize the effects of toxic stress. Primary Setting: The project will be implemented into the curriculum at Verbum Dei Jesuit High School, a private, Catholic, all-boys college preparatory school located in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The school serves young men from low-income and underserved communities. Number of Children Affected: The project's activities will be offered to the eleventh grade class at Verbum Dei Jesuit High School, which is composed of 82 male students of racial and ethnic minority backgrounds. The exception is the Mentorship and Career Fair Day, which will be open to all 320 students at Verbum Dei Jesuit High School. Anticipated Outcomes: Within 12-months, the project will successfully lead five resiliency training sessions to enhance the knowledge and practices of the 82 student participants; will screen at least 75% of the participants to identify children who have experienced ACEs; and will provide the necessary support, referrals, and follow-up care for 100% of the children scoring 1 or higher on the PEARLS tool to increase resilience and to promote optimal health.

Project Goal

The project’s goals are to: 1. Define adverse childhood experiences and their impact on health. 2. Identify high school student participants at risk for developing toxic stress. 3. Implement new resilience strategies to mitigate the short- and long-term negative effects of trauma.

Project Objective 1

Within 12 months, successfully lead five resiliency training sessions to 100% of the at-risk eleventh grade students at Verbum Dei Jesuit High School to improve their awareness and knowledge of adverse childhood experiences and to increase their practice of positive coping mechanisms.

Project Objective 2

Within 12 months, administer the Teen Self-Report Pediatric ACEs and Related Life Events Screener (PEARLS) tool to at least 75% of the targeted eleventh grade student participants to identify children who have experienced ACEs and are at risk for developing the detrimental effects of toxic stress.

Project Objective 3

Within 12 months, provide the necessary support, referrals, and follow-up care for 100% of the children scoring 1 or higher on the PEARLS tool to increase resilience and to promote optimal health.

AAP District

District IX

Institutional Name

Verbum Dei Jesuit High School

Contact 1

Elizabeth Volpicelli