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. 2012 Oct 16;109 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):17302-7.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1121259109. Epub 2012 Oct 8.

Leveraging the biology of adversity to address the roots of disparities in health and development

Jack P Shonkoff  1
Affiliations

Leveraging the biology of adversity to address the roots of disparities in health and development

Jack P Shonkoff. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .

Abstract

Extensive evidence that personal experiences and environmental exposures are embedded biologically (for better or for worse) and the cumulative knowledge of more than four decades of intervention research provide a promising opportunity to mobilize evolving scientific insights to catalyze a new era of more effective early childhood policy and practice. Drawing on emerging hypotheses about causal mechanisms that link early adversity with lifelong impairments in learning, behavior, and health, this paper proposes an enhanced theory of change to promote better outcomes for vulnerable, young children by strengthening caregiver and community capacities to reduce or mitigate the impacts of toxic stress, rather than simply providing developmental enrichment for the children and parenting education for their mothers.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
A science-based logic model could inform more effective early childhood policies and programs (adapted from ref. 79).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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