A ground-breaking documentary that explores the link between childhood stress and lifelong ill health has been screened at Kibble. Over 50 social workers, teachers and carers from across Renfrewshire gathered at the Paisley campus for a viewing of the film ‘Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope’. The film has already gathered international attention by highlighting the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and lower life expectancy.
Following the screening, a panel discussion was held with speakers from the Educational Psychology Services at Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Councils, and Dan Johnson from Kibble’s Specialist Intervention Service. Questions from the audience ranged from how to prevent trauma in childhood, the link between physical and mental wellbeing, and whether organisations are doing enough to support further research.
Speaking after the film showing, Dan Johnson, Senior Forensic Psychologist at Kibble said:
“At Kibble we are always exploring new ideas. We want to build a body of evidence that informs the services we deliver and ultimately improve outcomes for young people in our care.
“This screening has allowed us to look at theories around childhood experiences with as wide an audience as possible. My thanks go to Renfrewshire Council and Educational Psychologist team who licenced the film for showing.”
Chief Executive of Kibble Group Jim Gillespie said:
“This film screening has been highly anticipated and has had a powerful impact on those who managed to see it. I want to thank the team at Kibble who helped organise this event and for our colleagues at Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Council for being involved.
“Kibble as an organisation continues to work with other partners in education and social care to better understand how we can achieve the best outcomes for the young people in our care. This event is an important reminder of the importance of taking this approach.”
The documentary focuses on the research of epidemiologists Dr Robert Anda and Dr Vincent Felitti. They find that certain risk factors, such as growing up around physical, sexual or substance abuse, have a strong correlation with major health problems in adulthood.
The film is directed by Daniel Redford, son of the famous Oscar winning Director Robert Redford. First shown at the Sundance Film Festival, it has received rave reviews from both members of the public and those working in child and youth care.