Childhood
trauma is referred to in
academic literature as adversarial childhood experiences. Children may go
through a range of experiences that classify like psychological trauma,
these might include negligence, abandonment, childhood
sexual abuse and physical abuse parent or the sibling
is treated violently or there is a parent with a mental illness. These events
have profound psychological, physiological and sociological impacts
and can have negative and lasting effects on health and well-being.
Childhood trauma is of two types. They are:
Medical trauma:
Medical trauma sometimes called
"pediatric medical traumatic stress" refers to a set of physiological
and psychological responses of children and their families to pain, injury,
serious illness, medical procedures, and invasive or frightening treatment experiences.
Medical trauma may happen as a response to a single or multiple medicinal
events.
Separation trauma:
Separation trauma is a
disruption in an attachment relationship that disrupts neurological development
and can lead to death. Chronic separation from a caregiver can be extremely
traumatic to a child.
Symptoms:
Traumatic
experiences during childhood cause stress that increases an
individual’s allostatic load and thus affects the immune
system, nervous
system, and endocrine
system. Childhood trauma is
often associated with adverse health outcomes including depression,
hypertension, autoimmune diseases, lung cancer, and premature
mortality. An effect of childhood trauma and Dementia includes a
negative impact on emotional regulation and impairment of the
development of social skills. Research has shown that children raised in
traumatic or risky family environments tend to have excessive internalizing
(e.g., social withdrawal, anxiety) or externalizing (e.g., aggressive behavior)
and suicidal behavior. Recent research has found that physical
and sexual abuse is associated with mood and anxiety disorders in adulthood,
while personality disorders and schizophrenia are linked with emotional abuse
as adults.
Treatment:
Cognitive
behavioral therapy (CBT) is the psychological treatment of choice for PTSD and
it’s recommended by best-practice treatment guidelines. CBT typically involves
conflict with and dispensation of the trauma memory in a safe, gradual manner,
identification and restructuring of problematic principles and de-arousal
skills.
