The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that potentially millions of cases of adult illnesses like heart disease are linked to childhood trauma, the Associated Press reports. In a report released Tuesday, the agency said it found strong links to illnesses in adulthood and harm—physically and psychologically—that happened in childhood but no direct links. More specifically, the agency concluded that adults who went through potentially traumatic events were more likely to smoke and drink heavily. The CDC also found that decreasing such events in childhood would reduce the number of depressed adults by 44 percent, adults with coronary heart disease by 13 percent, and adults with weight problems by 2 percent. According to the agency, women and minorities—like African Americans, American Indians, and Alaskan Natives—were more likely to experience four or more kinds of harm while they were kids. The conclusions were reportedly drawn from surveys taken by adults between 2015 and 2017.
