Childhood Trauma
Childhood trauma is a psychological response to adversity or a highly stressful event experienced in a person’s childhood that has health effects that extend into adulthood. Childhood trauma can manifest itself within adulthood in a plethora of ways.
Examples of Traumatic Events Experienced in Childhood
- Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
- Neglect
- Assault
- Having parents that struggle with addiction or mental illness
- Witnessing family violence
- Witnessing disasters or terrorism
- Community or school violence
- Harassment or bullying
- Sudden or violent death of a loved one
- Refugees or war experiences
- Serious accidents
- Life threatening illness
These events may be isolated or ongoing. A child can also develop trauma upon witnessing a traumatic event happen to someone else. As previously mentioned, not everyone develops a trauma response to these types of events.
Symptoms of Childhood Trauma
Childhood adversity can have a long-lasting negative impact on a person’s quality of life, especially when it comes to a person’s mental health. Children who are exposed to trauma may also develop a heightened stress response that can hinder a person’s ability to regulate their emotions, cause sleep difficulties, lower immune function, and can inhibit a variety of physical illnesses into adulthood. Some examples of the negative symptoms that stem from childhood trauma include the following:
Emotional Symptoms:
- Anxiety
- Panic attacks
- Anger
- Unresponsiveness
- Being easily emotionally triggered/emotional outbursts
- Depression
- Shame
Physical Symptoms:
- Eating disorders/overeating and overdrinking
- Poor concentration
- Night terrors & sleep disturbances
- Lack of energy
- Headaches
- Physical illness
Behavioral Symptoms:
- Lack of self-confidence
- Poor Boundaries with others
- Poor communication skills
- Lack of conflict and negotiating skills
- People pleasing personality
- Co-dependency in intimate relationships
- Impulsiveness & risk-taking
- Addictions
- Self-hard
- Isolation
- Numbness or callousness
- General disorientation