Efforts to address the high prevalence and negative effects of ACEs on child health are needed, including widespread and concrete understanding and strategies to promote awareness, resilience, and safe, stable, nurturing relationships as foundational to healthy child development and sustainable well-being throughout life. A paradigm-shifting evolution in individual, organizational, and collective mindsets, policies, and practices is required. Shifts will emphasize the centrality of relationships and regulation of emotion and stress to brain development as well as overall health. They will elevate relationship-centered methods to engage individuals, families, and communities in self-care related to ACEs, stress, trauma, and building the resilience and nurturing relationships science has revealed to be at the root of well-being. Findings reflect a palpable hope for prevention, mitigation, and healing of individual, intergenerational, and community trauma associated with ACEs and provide a road map for doing so.

Synopsis US children with emotional, mental, or behavioral conditions (EMB) have disproportionate exposure to potentially traumatizing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) (70.7% EMB vs. 46.9% non-EMB). Neuroscience, epigenetic, developmental, social, epidemiologic, and other sciences provide theoretical and empirical explanations for observed early and lifelong physical, mental, emotional, educational, and social impacts of the trauma and chronic stress that can result from ACEs. Together, these sciences point to possibilities to strengthen families and promote child resilience and school and life success using mindfulness-based, mind-body approaches (MBMB) that neuroscience and other studies show promote healthy regulation of stress, resilience, and healing from emotional trauma. This paper examines US population-based associations between prevalence of EMB, ACEs, and risk regulating protective factors that are potentially malleable using MBMB, such as child resilience, parental coping and stress, and parent-child engagement. US rates of MBMB use among children with EMB are estimated. Findings encourage family-centered and mindfulness-based approaches to address social and emotional trauma and potentially interrupt intergenerational cycles of ACEs and prevalence of EMB among children and youth.

This information provides a benchmark for different care systems to identify areas for improvements in end-of-life care.

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness interventions aim to foster greater attention and awareness of present moment experiences. Uptake of mindfulness programs in the workplace has grown as organizations look to support employee health, wellbeing, and performance. OBJECTIVE: In support of evidence-based decision making in workplace contexts, we created an evidence map summarizing physical and mental health, cognitive, affective, and interpersonal outcomes from systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of mindfulness interventions. METHODS: We searched nine electronic databases to July 2017, dually-screened all reviews, and consulted topic experts to identify systematic reviews on mindfulness interventions. The distribution of evidence is presented as an evidence map in a bubble plot. RESULTS: In total, 175 systematic reviews met inclusion criteria. Reviews included a variety of mindfulness-based interventions. The largest review included 109 randomized controlled trials. The majority of these addressed general health, psychological conditions, chronic illness, pain, and substance use. Twenty-six systematic reviews assessed studies conducted in workplace settings and with healthcare professionals, educators, and caregivers. The evidence map shows the prevalence of research by the primary area of focus. An outline of promising applications of mindfulness interventions is included. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence map provides an overview of existing mindfulness research. It shows the body of available evidence to inform policy and organizational decision-making supporting employee wellbeing in work contexts.

Background/Aims: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication, as well as restricted, stereotyped interests and behaviors. A recent study found that approximately 1 in 88 children in the U.S. were diagnosed with an ASD and that prevalence varied widely among different demographic groups. The goals of this study were to obtain accurate prevalence and incidence statistics for ASD across several large, diverse health systems and to describe the variation of these statistics across demographic factors. Methods: All members within the five participating health systems born between January 1, 1993 and December 31, 2008 with electronic claims, enrollment, or medical record information were included in the study. Information on member demographics and ASD subtypes were collected from earliest available records at each site through the end of December 31, 2010. Individuals with an ASD diagnosis from an ASD specialist or two or more ASD diagnoses from non-specialists were defined as valid cases. Results: A preliminary examination of data from one site (N = 1,271,823) found 10,114 individuals <18 years ever diagnosed with an ASD. Of those 10,114 ASD cases, 8,085 met the validation criteria and were included in final analyses. Prevalence of all ASDs in children ≤8 years old was 1