Toxic Stress

Not all stress is bad. Some stress is a necessary and even essential part of growth and development; it can help us transiently mobilize energy and increase focus to perform better at the task at hand, such as an upcoming test, the big game, or a presentation at work. There are 3 types of stress:

Positive Stress: Brief elevations in stress hormones, heart rate, and blood pressure in response to a routine stressor (e.g., the first day of school, or a game).
Tolerable Stress: Time-limited activation of the stress response that if buffered by relationships with adults who help the child adapt, the brain and other organs recover (e.g., natural disaster, loss of loved one, broken bone).
Toxic Stress: High doses of adversity experienced during critical and sensitive periods of early development, without adequate buffering protections, can become “biologically embedded” leading to the toxic stress response (e.g., ACEs).

Other Risk Factors for Toxic Stress

In addition to ACEs, exposure to other adversities, such as poverty, racism and discrimination, and housing and food insecurity, are associated with health risks and are also believed to be risk factors for toxic stress. However, whether and to what extent these factors act through the toxic stress response is still under investigation.

The Impact of ACEs and Toxic Stress on Health

ACEs and toxic stress are associated with increased risk of a wide range of health conditions in both pediatric and adult populations, known as ACE-Associated Health Conditions. The life expectancy among populations with six or more ACEs is 19 years shorter than that of populations with none [1]
Below is a list of key ACE-Associated Health Conditions for populations by age. Click here for a more complete list of ACE-Associated Health Conditions for children and adults.