Free Childhood Trauma Test
Childhood Trauma (ACES) Test
If you’ve ever wondered whether difficult experiences in your childhood are still affecting you today, this free ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) assessment is a good place to start.
Our free childhood trauma test takes about five minutes to complete and can give you a clearer picture of what may be unresolved. This test does not diagnose any condition. What it does is help you identify patterns and decide whether professional support might be worth exploring.
If you’d like to learn more about effective, trauma-informed care in Atlanta, call us at 866-859-3442.
Childhood Trauma Test
Understanding Your Results
Your ACE score is a number between 0 and 10, based on how many categories of adverse childhood experiences (ACES) you reported. Many people with high scores lead healthy, fulfilling lives. Many people with low scores still struggle. The number matters less than what you do with the information.
Here’s a general framework for understanding your score:
- Score of 0–1: Little to no reported exposure to adverse childhood experiences. This doesn’t mean your childhood was without difficulty — the ACE categories don’t capture everything — but it suggests a lower likelihood of trauma-related health impacts.
- Score of 2–3: Moderate exposure. You may notice some patterns in how you respond to stress, relationships, or emotional difficulty that could be connected to early experiences. Awareness is useful here.
- Score of 4 or higher: Research consistently links ACE scores of 4 or more to a higher risk of mental health conditions, substance use, and certain physical health problems in adulthood.
Whatever your score, if something on this assessment brought up difficult feelings or memories, that’s worth paying attention to. A quiz can surface something important, but a trained therapist can help you actually work through it.
What Is Childhood Trauma?
The ACEs framework identifies ten categories of adverse childhood experiences:
Abuse
- Physical abuse
- Emotional abuse
- Sexual abuse
Neglect
- Physical neglect
- Emotional neglect
Household Dysfunction
- Witnessing domestic violence
- Living with a parent who has a substance use disorder
- Having a parent with mental illness
- Losing a parent to divorce or separationHaving a family member incarcerated
These categories reflect what researchers found to be most predictive of long-term health outcomes.
Clinicians often distinguish between two types of trauma:
- “Big-T” Trauma: Events that are objectively threatening or catastrophic, such as abuse or witnessing violence
- “Little-t” Trauma: Experiences that are less dramatic but still overwhelming for a child, such as chronic emotional neglect, bullying, or growing up in an unstable home
Both are real, and both can have lasting effects.
Signs Childhood Trauma May Be Affecting You as an Adult
Childhood trauma doesn’t always look like obvious distress. Often it shows up in patterns that feel like personality traits, relationship habits, or just “the way you are.”
Common signs include:
- Difficulty trusting others or forming close relationships
- A tendency toward people-pleasing, hypervigilance, or emotional shutdown
- Intense emotional reactions that feel disproportionate to the situation
- Persistent anxiety, depression, or a chronic sense of emptiness
- Trouble setting or maintaining healthy boundaries
- Using alcohol, substances, or other behaviors to manage emotional pain
- Physical symptoms without a clear medical cause (chronic pain, fatigue, digestive issues)
- Difficulty feeling safe, even in objectively safe environments
None of these signs confirm a diagnosis on their own. But if several of them resonate, it may be worth speaking with a mental health professional who specializes in trauma.
Recommended: Breaking Down the 17 Symptoms of PTSD: A Complete Guide
How Childhood Trauma Affects Mental and Physical Health
The original ACE study, conducted by Kaiser Permanente and the CDC with more than 17,000 participants, found a strong, dose-dependent relationship between ACE scores and a range of health outcomes. The higher the score, the greater the risk.
Mental health outcomes associated with higher ACE scores include depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance use disorders, suicidality, and difficulty with emotional regulation. Physical outcomes include increased risk of heart disease, autoimmune conditions, obesity, and certain cancers.
The research is clear that adverse childhood experiences have consequences that extend well into adulthood. It is equally clear that those consequences are not fixed. Trauma-informed treatment can change your life, and it’s never too late to start.
When to Seek Professional Help
If your ACE score is high, or if taking this assessment brought up memories or feelings that are difficult to sit with, professional support is worth considering. You don’t need to be in crisis to benefit from therapy. In fact, the earlier you begin working through unresolved trauma, the less likely it is to compound over time.
Seek help sooner rather than later if you’re noticing that past experiences are affecting your current relationships, your ability to function at work, your mental or physical health, or your use of substances. A trauma-informed therapist can help you understand what you’re carrying and develop real strategies for moving forward.
If you’re experiencing suicidal thoughts or are in immediate distress, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
How Valor Treats Trauma
At Valor Behavioral Health, trauma treatment is built into the core of how we work. Our clinical model is grounded in post-traumatic growth (PTG), a framework that recognizes the potential for meaningful positive change as a result of working through trauma. Recovery is about building a life that feels different from the one the trauma shaped.
Our trauma-specific services include trauma-informed therapy, somatic therapy (which addresses how trauma is stored in the body, not just the mind), and evidence-based approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). These are woven together within individualized treatment plans and delivered across multiple levels of care. We offer PHP, IOP, evening IOP, and standard outpatient.
Treatment is provided by a multidisciplinary team that includes licensed therapists, psychiatric professionals, and case managers. If trauma has contributed to co-occurring conditions like depression, anxiety, or substance use, we treat those simultaneously.
Frequently Asked Questions
The ACEs questionnaire is a validated screening tool that has been used in large-scale public health research for decades. It’s a reliable way to identify exposure to adverse childhood experiences. Two people with the same score can have very different experiences and outcomes. Use it as a starting point for reflection, not a definitive assessment.
Your responses to this quiz are not stored or shared. This is a self-assessment tool meant to help you reflect on your own history. If you choose to contact Valor for a clinical evaluation, that process involves separate, confidential intake forms governed by HIPAA.
No. A quiz can help you recognize patterns and prompt reflection, but it cannot diagnose PTSD, complex trauma, or any other clinical condition. Diagnosis requires a thorough evaluation by a licensed mental health professional who can assess your full history, current symptoms, and functional impact.
The ACEs framework covers ten specific categories, but childhood trauma is broader than that. Any experience that overwhelmed a child’s capacity to cope can be considered traumatic. This includes experiences that might seem minor from the outside, like chronic criticism, emotional unavailability from a caregiver, or growing up in an environment of uncertainty and instability.
Yes. The brain retains neuroplasticity throughout life, and trauma-focused therapy has strong evidence behind it. Many people who begin trauma treatment as adults experience significant, lasting changes in their relationships, emotional regulation, and overall quality of life.
A high score is meaningful information, not a verdict. The most useful next step is to speak with a mental health professional who can help you understand how your history may be showing up in your current life. If you’re unsure where to start, Valor’s admissions team can talk you through your options, no commitment required.
Effective trauma treatment typically involves evidence-based therapies like trauma-focused CBT, DBT, EMDR, and somatic approaches that address how trauma is held in the body. At Valor, treatment is individualized and delivered within a post-traumatic growth framework. The goal isn’t just stabilization, but genuine recovery and the development of new strengths.
Mental Health Treatment
Find Trauma Treatment in Atlanta
Understanding your history is the first step. Getting support is the next one. If this assessment raised questions you’d like to explore with a professional, Valor Behavioral Health offers trauma-informed care at multiple levels.
Reach out to our team to verify your insurance and begin your healing journey.
Find Mental Health Treatment in Atlanta
*By submitting this form, you consent to us reaching out to you
Treatment Philosophy
Valor Behavioral Health is an innovative outpatient mental health treatment facility serving the Greater Atlanta region.
Meet Our Team
