Mental health problems in adults are closely related to childhood trauma, as these experiences tend to remain etched in one’s mind.
It is not automatic that children who experience stress early in their lives will develop mental health problems later on.
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Individuals with effective stress coping mechanisms are capable of dealing with traumatic and stressful life events.
Introduction
Children are prone to traumatic experiences at various stages of their lives, which in turn affects their social and cognitive development.
Some of these experiences include physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, divorce, separation, domestic violence, and incarceration (Dube et al., 2001).
Anxiety disorders, aggressive behavior, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidality, and depression in adulthood are linked to mistreatment during childhood.
The paper will help to link childhood traumatic experiences to mental health problems that arise throughout lifespan development.
Literature Review
Impacts of Childhood Trauma
Childhood trauma affects the oxytocin system, which is associated with emotional regulation and sociability.
Individuals who experience stressful and traumatic life events have reduced oxytocin levels making them more susceptible to substance abuse and mental health illnesses (Felitti et al., 1998).
Maltreatment in childhood increases depression, anxiety acting out, and aggression later on in life.
Dealing with Childhood Trauma
Coping with the effects of childhood trauma is hard but not impossible with the right psychosocial approaches.
Recalling and reliving these experiences may be painful, but they help individuals to face their fears, which have been holding them back.
Individuals ought to relieve the traumatic experience once again, but this time they should seek the help of trauma therapists to get over these experiences.
The best way of dealing with childhood trauma is to sense these experiences to understand their emotional impacts and from here accept the emotions they generate
Summary and Conclusion
Childhood, traumatic experiences such as mental, physical, and sexual abuse, have lasting effects that could go on throughout one's lifespan.
Individuals who are exposed to childhood trauma tend to develop mental health problems later on in life due to reduced oxytocin levels.
It is possible to deal with a childhood trauma by seeking the help of trauma therapists or being proactive in reliving and addressing these experiences.
References
Dube, S. R., Anda, R F., Felitti, V. J., Chapman, D. P., Williamson, D. F., Giles, W. H. (2001).Childhood abuse, household dysfunction, and the risk of attempted suicide throughout the life span: Findings from the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study. JAMA, 286(24):3089-3096.
Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V… Marks, J. S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine , 14(4):245-258.
