Alphabet Soup – ACEs, PCEs and TCKs

Transitions inevitably involve changes, goodbyes, losses and griefs – but there are ways for parents of TCKs to help them cope and recover. Here are a few important concepts to get familiar with. 

For any child, TCK or not, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can negatively affect physical and mental health, even into their adult lives.

Common ACEs include actual experience or fear of abuse and neglect (physical, emotional or sexual), or household dysfunctions (mental health issues, violence, substance abuse, incarceration, divorce). TCKs are not spared from such experiences. In fact, because of the transitions they and their parents face, they may even be more at risk than average.

However, there is hope – the harms from ACEs can be mitigated by Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs). These include feeling prioritised by parents, having a safe and supportive home environment, traditions and routines, and belonging to social groups of peers and adults. The more PCEs children have in their lives, the less impact they will suffer from the ACEs.

What can parents do?

• Learn about ACEs so that you can try to avoid them, or if unavoidable, mitigate their impact on your children.

• Look out for things in your TCKs’ lives which could give rise to ACEs – relocation, saying goodbyes, changing schools, weak social network, etc.

• Learn about PCEs and take steps to introduce them in your children’s lives.

* A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is someone who has spent a significant part of their childhood living outside their passport country.