Almost two-thirds of the adult population of Northern Ireland has experienced at least one traumatic childhood event, according to a groundbreaking report published on Thursday.
The study found that 60 per cent of adults reported at least one adverse childhood experience (Ace) and 17.6 per cent experienced four or more, a critical threshold which is more likely to lead to poorer health and educational outcomes.
The North’s minister for justice, Naomi Long, said the findings were “striking and sobering” and “for the first time, the true extent of childhood trauma and its impact on all people in Northern Ireland has been documented and measured for all to see”.
“That 60 per…