According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), at least 1 in 7 children have experienced abuse or neglect in the past year and more than two thirds of children will have experienced at least one traumatic event by the age of 16. Unfortunately, childhood trauma is prevalent and its impacts on physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being are far-reaching. But what exactly constitutes childhood trauma? According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), childhood trauma can be defined as “the experience of an event by a child that is emotionally painful or distressful, which often results in lasting mental and physical effects.” This blog will explore different events that can potentially be traumatic experiences for a child and have lasting impacts into adulthood on various areas of functioning.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
One way to think about childhood trauma is by assessing for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), which refers to a variety of scary or dangerous experiences a child may encounter. Common ACEs include physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect, witnessing domestic violence, household substance use, household mental illness, parental separation or divorce, or having an incarcerated household member. Research shows that 65% of children experience at least one ACE during childhood and 45% experience at least two or more ACEs. The greater the amount of ACEs, the more likely an individual will be to develop physical or mental health problems throughout their life. Common physical and mental health impacts include a greater risk for heart disease, experiencing intimate partner violence, substance use, poor academic or work performance, depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders.
Not every encounter with an ACE will result in a person having childhood trauma. Perceiving an event as traumatic is a subjective experience and can look different for each individual depending on genetic and environmental factors, like the child’s relationship with their caregivers and how well the child is able to cope with distress. However, ACEs can lead to the development of various forms of childhood trauma.
Types of Childhood Trauma
The following are common types of childhood trauma one may experience:
- Physical Abuse: This type of trauma involves any infliction of physical harm to a child that causes injury or pain, like hitting, burning, beating, or other kinds of violence.
- Sexual Abuse: Child sexual abuse entails any interaction between a child and an adult (or another child) that is used for the sexual stimulation of the perpetrator or an observer and can include both touching and non-touching behaviors. Non-touching behaviors include exposing the child to pornography or looking at a child’s naked body.
- Emotional/Psychological Abuse: This type of abuse can be just as harmful as physical abuse and can take many forms such as:
- Continually rejecting a child
- Swearing or screaming at a child
- Criticizing, blaming, or humiliating a child
- Withholding love, affection, support, or praise from a child
- Having unrealistic expectations or placing unrealistic demands on a child
- Physically or socially isolating a child
- Telling a child they are worthless, unlovable, or not enough
- Bullying, teasing, belittling, or insulting a child
- Threatening abuse or threats to harm loved ones or pets
- Physical Neglect: Physical neglect involves a failure to meet a child’s basic physical needs, like food, shelter, clothing, or medical care.
- Emotional Neglect: Emotional neglect often goes undetected. Emotional neglect occurs when a caregiver is unable to emotionally attune with their child and provide the emotional support, validation, attention, and supervision a child needs as they grow and develop. The caregiver does not consistently or adequately respond to a child’s distress, is unable to recognize or acknowledge a child’s emotions or needs, and/or is unable to form an emotional connection with their child. This type of neglect can be intentional on the part of the caregiver, such as if the caregiver consistently dismisses or invalidates the child’s experience. It can also be unintentional, such as when a caregiver, despite being loving and caring, overlooks or does not understand the importance of their child’s emotions.
- Witnessing Domestic Violence: Witnessing verbal or physical violence between caregivers or other members of the household can lead a child to feel fearful, unsafe, and emotionally distressed in their home.
- Substance Abuse in the Household: Children who grow up in a home where a caregiver or other household member is abusing substances can create an environment that feels unsafe, unpredictable, and scary for the child.
- Bullying: Bullying can be physical or verbal and happen in-person or through technology (cyberbullying). Children and adolescents who experience chronic bullying are more likely to have difficulties with self-esteem and self-worth.
- Exposure to Community Violence or Crime: Growing up in an environment where the child is exposed to violence or crime can lead the child to feel unsafe and remain in a chronic state of hypervigilance.
- Divorce or Separation of Parents: Divorce or separation can have varying impacts on a child. The child may blame themselves for the divorce, feel a sense of loss or abandonment from their parents, or experience a lack of safety and security in their environment.
Impacts in Adulthood
The impact of childhood trauma can be immense if left unaddressed and can impact various areas of well-being and functioning:
- Relational Impacts: Childhood trauma, especially types that involve parents or caregivers, can lead individuals to have difficulties forming relationships later in life. Adults who have experienced childhood trauma often have issues trusting others, being vulnerable with others, and setting boundaries. They may put others’ needs before their own or engage in people pleasing behaviors. Alternatively, these individuals may become self-sufficient, independent, “workaholics” and carry the belief that they do not need relationships to feel fulfilled. Adults who have experienced childhood trauma, particularly those who grew up experiencing or witnessing violence, are also at a greater risk of entering relationships that are physically violent, exploitative, or emotionally abusive.
- Emotional Impacts: Children need adults to respond effectively and help them regulate their emotions, which is a process called coregulation. Many children who have experienced trauma did not have parents or caregivers who could respond adequately to their emotions which can lead to profound difficulties understanding and processing their emotions later in life. Many adults will struggle with emotion regulation, meaning they feel their emotions strongly and act on their emotions without thinking. This can look like becoming rageful and lashing out at others, feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and panicked, or experiencing uncontrollable sobbing, despair, and sadness. Conversely, some adults will feel emotionally numb and detached from themselves. As children, it was likely safer for them to keep their emotions to themselves and this pattern gets ingrained as adults. Some adults may vacillate between these two extreme states of feeling deeply and intensely to not feeling at all.
- Self-Esteem and Self-Worth: Many adults who have experienced childhood trauma have low self-esteem and a diminished sense of self-worth. This is because a caregiver’s attitude and responses to a child act as a mirror for how the child will view him/herself. For example, if a child is constantly met with disapproval, anger, or criticism from a parent, the child may develop a belief that he is not good enough and may become overly frustrated and angry with himself when he makes a mistake.These beliefs are often carried into adulthood and can leave one feeling undeserving, unworthy, or not good enough.
- Unhelpful Coping Mechanisms: Coping and problem solving skills are often modeled for children by parents. However, many children who have experienced childhood trauma either witnessed their parents engage in unhelpful coping strategies (i.e., substance use, yelling, violence) or were left to figure out their problems by themselves. Many adults will turn to unhelpful coping mechanisms to deal with current stress and overwhelming memories from the past such as through substance use, maladaptive eating habits (i.e., restricting, binge eating), or chronic avoidance of anxiety-provoking situations. While these strategies may provide temporary relief, over time they will create more problems for the individual and will further bury the trauma the individual experienced in childhood.
- Physical Health Consequences: Childhood trauma, especially repeated exposure over time can also manifest as physical symptoms and health conditions. Some individuals will experience chronic pain, digestive issues, difficulties with sleep, and lower immune system functioning. Individuals who have experienced trauma are also at a higher risk of developing conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders in adulthood.
Healing and Recovery
Healing and recovering from childhood trauma is possible with help and support from others. There are many therapeutic approaches, like eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), internal family systems (IFS), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). that can help an individual heal from their past and move forward to lead a life that is not dictated by trauma. These approaches aim to help individuals reprocess traumatic memories, improve self-esteem, create a new narrative around traumatic events, and gain the skills needed to effectively manage emotions and relationships. Building up a support system of friends, family members, or support groups can also aid in the recovery process. Getting to share one’s story, hear others’ stories and receive care and support from others can be empowering and help foster resilience.
Childhood trauma is more prevalent than we think and can have major consequences on one’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Acknowledging the impact of trauma is the first step toward recovery and healing. If you are ready to start the healing journey, reach out today. Our team of mental health processionals at Integrated Care Clinic are specialized in treating various types of childhood trauma using a variety of therapeutic approaches.
