The lingering effects of childhood trauma can have consequences for an adult’s health, happiness, and more. Acknowledgment, and compassionate treatment, can help.
Children who are exposed to abuse and trauma may develop what is called 'a heightened stress response'. This can impact their ability to regulate their emotions, lead to sleep difficulties, lower immune function, and increase the risk of a number of physical illnesses throughout adulthood.
Unfortunately, negative experiences from the time of childhood significantly affect the lives of adults. Therefore, conscious raising of children is important.
Impact of adverse effect is high. I have seen a girl abused in childhood, traumatized till middle age. The incident compelled her to believe all men are bad in the society.
Children who are exposed to abuse and trauma may develop what is called 'a heightened stress response'. This can impact their ability to regulate their emotions, lead to sleep difficulties, lower immune function, and increase the risk of a number of physical illnesses throughout adulthood.
Adverse childhood experience is a total failure of the parents & the particular society. Its effects are prolonged, even life long. Prevention is crucial & the solution to the problem. Very soft, meticulous & delicate handling with multidisciplinary sessions & patience is required for the post-traumatic subjects.
Hence the vigilant role of parents and educators regarding children. Without going to extreme situations (abuse, exploitation, etc.), a negative experience in childhood, if adults do not detect this situation and intervene to the effect, it can be like a snowball, which greatly affects the future, generating a problem of more difficult solution.
During childhood kids' psyche is extremely fragile, and any physical or psychological violence on or nearby a kid leaves an indelible mark in a child's soul. It cracks or breaks a kid's conscience sometimes for ever. In any such case a long period of recovery is necessary., while none warrants a full recovery.
Children are not far away from getting mental health problems and psychiatric disorders that may last for adulthood and later stages in life. For example, children diagnosed with oppositional definat disorder and/or conduct disorder may develop antisocial personality disorder in adulthood and be extremely dangerous to themselves and the society. Preventive measures are crucial and help stop exacerbation of such diagnoses and negative destructive symptoms.
Something like a divorce within a family will keep all members traumatized for life, unfortunately. Often the history repeats itself with children become divorced as well.
It can work both ways. Those traumatized in early childhood may suffer from PTSD as an adult and would need long term therapy. On the other hand if they had a positive upbringing and parenting then they would, in general, experience a healthy adult life style. There are always exceptions, for example, a perfectly healthy childhood person may go off the path and do bad things as an adult. Also it depends quite a bit on resiliency and protective factors associated with the child when growing up that would work against any risk factors in childhood.
Humans are social beings, one way or another the environment has always and impact on them, and the past is a core element in their lives, you don't know how the impact of ancient experiences can manifest in your life again.
The original Adverse Childhood Experiences study used a questionnaire that asked about ten kinds of adverse experiences. There werethree categories of adverse experiences: abuse, household challenges, and neglect. The Adverse Childhood Experiences scale used to measure an individual experience of:
Emotional abuse: being regularly belittled, humiliated, insulted, or demeaned, all of which may lead one to fear for their physical safety.
Physical abuse: being struck, pushed, grabbed, etc. with enough force to injure or leave marks.
Sexual abuse: beingforced to engage in a sexual interaction.
Mother treated violently:mother or stepmother subjected to violence by a male partner.
Household substance abuse: alcoholism or illicit drug use by a household member.
Mental illness in the household: depression or other mental illness experienced by another household member. This category may also include suicide or suicide attempts.
Parental separation or divorce
Criminal household member: being in a household where one or more members are imprisoned or engaged in criminal activities.
Emotional neglect: lack of love and support.
Physical neglect: lack of physical necessities and basic needs like food, shelter, or clothing; parental incompetence.