"Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, or neglect, either alone or combined with other types of childhood trauma, increases the risk of chronic pain and related disability in adulthood, according to new research. The findings from an international team of experts, including several McGill University researchers, underscore the urgency of addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) – potentially traumatic events that occur before 18 years of age – and taking steps to mitigate their long-term impact on people’s health."  

- PUBLISHED: 20 December 2023 by Newsroom Institutional Communications

"1 in 3 Canadians have experienced adverse childhood adverse experiences, including sexual and physical, and/or exposure to family violence. Some children and youth also face neglect and/or adverse community experiences such as discrimination. Poverty, and/or other form of violence and oppression."

- Canadian Consortium of Child & Youth Trauma

"The Canadian Council of Child and Youth Advocates (Council) is an alliance of Advocates, Representatives, and Ombudsman¹ across ten provinces and two territories, who hold explicit mandates to ensure the rights of children and youth in Canada are respected. In general, the Council members advocate on behalf of children and youth receiving provincial or territorial government services, conduct individual and systemic reviews and provide public education on children’s rights. This work is guided by the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)², which consist of 54 articles and key principles of non-discrimination, best interests of the child, right to life, survival and development, and lastly, participation. The Council aims to work collaboratively towards identifying specific or systemic issues impacting the well-being of children and youth that are common to all jurisdictions, and to collectively advocate at the provincial, federal and international levels.

Suicide amongst our young people in Canada is preventable. We can no longer tolerate the inaction of federal, provincial or territorial governments. As the second leading cause of death for young people ages 10-24 in Canada, we should be raising alarm bells to call for a proper and meaningful response. As part of its work, the Council has been actively monitoring what the provincial, territorial and federal governments are doing to address the issue of child and youth suicide in Canada. While much work has been done by the Advocates to better understand this issue, they have also called for government to take concrete action to address it. The human cost of losing so many young people to suicide is an issue of grave concern for the Council. This concern is the impetus for this report. Globally, Canada has been ranked in the top five for youth suicide rates. Within Canada, the suicide rates are substantially higher for Indigenous youth compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts."

- Canadian Council of Youth and Child Advocates Sept. 2019

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has stressed the importance of knowing the “[…] impact that each period of life has on subsequent stages.” This relates to the second point on the continuum that adolescents burdened with unresolved childhood trauma typically do not receive the quality and quantity of support they need to facilitate their transition to adulthood. The Committee further stated that “[…] positive and supportive opportunities during adolescence can be used to offset some of the consequences caused by harm suffered during early childhood, and build resilience to mitigate future damage.”

- The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child  

The Alberta Advocate described the significant role of protective factors in diverting the negative health consequences of childhood trauma and nurturing good physical and mental health and coping skills.

Lack of service integration is a longstanding issue in Canada that acutely impacts children and youth with complex mental health needs.

The accumulation of trauma in childhood manifests later in adolescence by way of substance abuse, self-harm, suicide ideation, suicide attempts, poor school attendance, and involvement in health and criminal justice systems.

Trauma as part of childhood is not new and can be defined as a consequence of a distressing or emotionally disturbing experience. The young people of today lead extremely complex lives with multiple experiences that can be characterized as traumatic. Violence in the form of physical abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation is a reality for many youths, especially those involved in the child welfare system. LGBTQ2S+ young people still face abuse, stigma and social exclusion. Immigrant and refugee youth may be escaping potential violence or ill-treatment in their country of origin yet may find the culture shock of coming to a new country in addition to language and cultural barriers in Canada overwhelming. Youth with disabilities may be particularly vulnerable to rights violations based on discrimination and denial of educational and vocational opportunities. For these youth groups, their traumatic experiences can and often lead to poor mental health and feeling a lack of hope and optimism for the future.

Three-quarters of Canadians (73 per cent of adults and 77 per cent of children) say that young people in Canada need more support to safeguard their wellbeing and fulfill their potential. Not only do Canadians believe we have a moral imperative to act, they also believe it makes economic sense; nearly 9 in 10 Canadians say that investing in children will pay off and save the need for additional expenditures in the future.

- The Alberta Advocate

"Many independent prospective studies have now shown that if a mother is stressed, anxious or depressed while pregnant, her child is at increased risk for having a range of problems, including emotional problems, ADHD, conduct disorder and impaired cognitive development. Both altered brain structure and function have been shown to be associated with prenatal stress, and also the mother’s experience of early childhood trauma. While genetic transmission and the quality of postnatal care are likely to contribute to some of these findings of association, there is good evidence that there is a causal influence of the mother’s emotional state while pregnant also. Some studies have found stronger associations with prenatal maternal mood than paternal. Several large cohort studies have found associations independent of possible confounding factors, such as birthweight, gestational age, maternal education, smoking, alcohol consumption, and most importantly, postnatal anxiety and depression. Thus, although the mother’s postnatal emotional state and the quality of early postnatal care are clearly important for many of these outcomes, the evidence suggests that there are substantial prenatal effects also."

- Recent Research Results from – Encyclopedia on early Childhood Development

https://www.child-encyclopedia.com/stress-and-pregnancy-prenatal-and-perinatal/according-experts/effects-prenatal-stress-child