In the May/June edition of its Journal on Pediatric Healthcare, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners released an updated position statement emphasizing the importance of building resilience during childhood and adolescence. Evidence continues to demonstrate that resilient children and adolescents can adapt in the face of adverse childhood events (ACEs), and promoting resilience is thus vital to the health care provided by pediatric clinicians.
Recent studies suggest that 75% of high school students in the United States have experienced at least one ACE and 18.5% experienced four or more. The impact of these events, which range from abuse and household dysfunction to famine and armed conflict, is profound, with an estimated annual economic burden of nearly $750 billion across the U.S. More important, ACEs can lead to trauma and toxic stress, both of which increase the risk of chronic conditions, mental illness and lower achievement through childhood and into adulthood.
“Eliminating ACEs from children’s lives entirely is unlikely, so building resilience is essential in maximizing health outcomes for children and adolescents who may face traumatic events,” said Daniel Crawford, DNP, ARNP, CPNP-PC, CNE, FAANP, president of NAPNAP. “Our organization and its members play a key role in providing children with the guidance and tools to build resilience, therefore minimizing the consequences of ACEs.”
In recognition of resilience’s continued importance to the health and well-being of children, NAPNAP reaffirms the need for pediatric-focused APRNs and other pediatric health care providers to assess children and their families for signifiers of resilience and promote protective factors that contribute to resilience. Providers must also promote programs in schools and the community at large that reduce exposure to ACEs while advocating for policies that support the development of skills and access to care that increase children’s resilience.
These efforts, in conjunction with efforts aimed at reducing the incidence of ACEs, can maximize resilience in childhood and therefore maximize health outcomes from childhood through adulthood.
The full position statement was published in the May/June 2025 edition of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners’ Journal of Pediatric Health Care and can be accessed here.
May 27, 2025
