Childhood adversity is the sum of a variety of factors that significantly influence a child’s development. Much research has been conducted on childhood adversity but defining this construct is still tricky. McLaughlin (2016) suggests that the definition of childhood adversity is "experiences that require significant adaptation by an average child and that represent a deviation from the expectable environment"1. In addition, these experiences refer to an event or ongoing events in the environment that requires significant psychological, social, or neurobiological adaptation by an average child. In other words, they are experiences that could fundamentally alter the emotional, cognitive, social, or neurobiological domains in relation to childhood development. Childhood adversity is associated with poor adult health. When working with health promotion at school, it is important to be aware of childhood adversity and their potential impact on your intervention, program or initiative
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1. McLaughlin, K. A. (2016). Future Directions in Childhood Adversity and Youth Psychopathology. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 45(3), 361-382. doi: 10.1080/15374416.2015.1110823