The fact that childhood trauma – and the events that cause it – so prolifically exists is a tragedy. The fact that childhood trauma is so misunderstood, even by those responsible for the oversight of our social institutions is also a tragedy; this includes including our law enforcement and criminal justice system.
Most people remain ignorant to the fact that childhood trauma, if not addressed, extends beyond childhood. This is also heartbreaking. Hence, the reason for this article. Besides the seven hidden ways that childhood trauma affects you as an adult, we’ll go over other critical issues, including:
- The state of affairs as it pertains to childhood trauma
- What’s being done about the increasing numbers of traumatized children and what needs to change.
We’ll wrap things up by discussing how you can help prevent childhood trauma.
What is Childhood Trauma?
“The experience of an event by a child that is emotionally painful or distressful, which often results in lasting mental and physical effects.” – The National Institute of Mental Health: definition of childhood trauma (source)
Childhood trauma occurs when a child experiences or observes negative events during childhood. Due to the impression (e.g. shock) of the event, the child develops psychological trauma.
Interpersonal trauma is that which originates in the child’s relationships. Examples of interpersonal trauma include emotional, physical, or sexual abuse; experiencing or witnessing violence within the family or at home, and experiencing or witnessing violence in a community (e.g. civil disturbances, armed conflict, asylum seeker trauma.) A child who is emotionally and/or physically neglected may develop trauma.
Trauma may also stem from a caregiver or parent trauma. Examples of this include:
- A parent who is incarcerated
- A parent who abuses alcohol or drugs
- Parental ill-health
- Parental separation (e.g. divorce)
Trauma may also be caused by natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, or hurricanes; an act of violence (e.g. mass shooting or terrorist attack), and in other life-threatening conditions like a motor vehicle accident.
The ‘ACE’ Study
“We found a strong … relationship between … exposure to abuse or household dysfunction during childhood and multiple risk factors for … the leading causes of death in adults.” – Felitti, V.J., Et. Al (source)
According to the ‘ACE’ study, there are ten different types of childhood trauma across two categories: personal and environmental. Trauma of the personal type includes emotional neglect, physical abuse, physical neglect, sexual abuse, and verbal abuse. Environmental trauma relates to family members and includes having an alcoholic parent, living with a mentally ill family member, having a mother that is the victim of domestic abuse, or the absence of a parent following abandonment, death, or divorce.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that children who experience Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ‘ACEs,’ are more likely to become future victims or perpetrators of violence. Researchers also found a strong correlation between ACEs and:
- Disrupted neurodevelopment
- Social, emotional, and cognitive impairment
- Adoption of health-risk behaviors
- Disease, disability, and social problems
- Early death
How Trauma Manifests Into Adulthood
“Our study (suggests) that childhood trauma casts a long and wide-ranging shadow … (including) important domains of functioning.” – Copeland, W.E., Et. al (source)
As the ACE study demonstrates, psychological trauma experienced during childhood continues to affect the victim. Here are seven of the many “hidden” ways that trauma affects you as an adult:
1. Anxiety and Depression
Studies show that the brain of an adult who experiences trauma during childhood differs from that of an adult who does not. Per a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the brain images of adults with a history of childhood trauma show “scar of prior trauma … in functional dysconnectivity.” These abnormalities appear to correlate with wide-ranging symptoms of major depressive disorder or MDD.
Other networks of the brain impacted include multiple areas of the resting-state network (RSN), attention and sensory systems, and the default mode network.
2. Substance Abuse
A probable link exists between the stress levels experienced during childhood and those experienced in adulthood. Maltreatment of a child heightens their reactivity to adverse stimuli. Over time, these responses may cause long-term changes in the brain’s neural networks. A stress response that is easily triggered makes one susceptible to alcohol and drug dependency, as is seen in adult victims of childhood trauma.
