Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsExamplesImpactHow to HelpHow to Heal
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Examples
Impact
How to Help
How to Heal
While kids areresilient, they’re not made of stone. Adults often say things like, “They were so young when that happened, they won’t even remember it as an adult.” However, it is important to recognize thatchildhood traumacan have a lifelong effect.
“As children’s brains develop, they are learning how safe or unsafe the world is through their experiences,” says psychotherapistYolanda Renteria, LPC. “A child has to develop a way to protect itself from what it deems unsafe; the ways in which a child protects itself shape their adult personality.”
Because of this, it’s important to recognize when a child may need professional help to deal with their trauma. Early intervention can also prevent the ongoing effects of the trauma into adulthood.
What Is Considered a Childhood Trauma?
Physical orsexual abuse, for example, can be traumatic for children. One-time events like a car accident, natural disaster (like a hurricane), the loss of a loved one, or a major medical incident can take a psychological toll on children as well.
Ongoing stress, such as living in a dangerous neighborhood or being the target ofbullying, can also be traumatic for a child—even if it just feels like daily life to an adult.
Childhood trauma doesn’t even have to involve experiences that occur directly to the child. Watching a loved one endure a major health issue, for instance, can be extremely traumatic for children. Violent media can have this effect, too.
Just because an experience is upsetting doesn’t make it traumatic. Parentaldivorce, for example, will likely affect a child but it isn’t necessarily traumatizing.
Childhood Trauma and PTSD
As many as 15% of girls and 6% of boys develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a traumatic event.Children with PTSD mayre-experience the traumain their minds over and over again. They might alsoavoid anything that reminds themof the trauma or re-enact the trauma in their play.
Sometimes children believe that they missed warning signs predicting the traumatic event. In an effort to prevent future traumas, they becomehypervigilantin looking for signs that something bad is going to happen again.
Children with PTSD may also:
Even children who don’t develop PTSD may still exhibit emotional and behavioral issues following a traumatic experience. Here are some things to watch for during the weeks and months after an upsetting event:
Understanding Intergenerational Trauma and Its Effects on Mental Health
How Does Childhood Trauma Affect You As a Child and As an Adult?
Traumatic events canaffect how a child’s brain develops,which can have lifelong consequences for them physically, mentally, and socially.
Physical Health Impacts
When a child experiences a traumatic event, it can impair their physical development.The stress can impair the development of their immune and central nervous systems, making it harder to achieve their full potential.
A 2015 study published in theAmerican Journal of Preventive Medicinereports that the more adverse experiences a child has, the higher their risk of chronic disease later in life.
Specifically, it notes that exposure to repeated trauma increases a child’s risk of developing:
A 2019 review of 134 different research-based articles adds that exposure to adverse experiences as children increases the risk of developing several different conditions—such as autoimmune diseases, pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer—in adulthood, as well as increasing levels of pain.
How Emotional Pain Affects the Body
Mental Health Impacts
Childhood trauma can also have an impact on mental health. Psychological effects of traumatic experiences can include:
Children exposed to complex traumas may even become disassociated.Dissociationinvolves separating themselves from the experience mentally. They might imagine that they are outside of their bodies and watching it from somewhere else or they may lose memory of the experience, resulting in memory gaps.
Research published inPsychiatric Timesfurther notes that the prevalence of suicide attempts is significantly higher in adults who experienced traumas such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, andparental domestic violenceas a child.
Crisis SupportIf you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.988
Crisis Support
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
988
Childhood Trauma and Dissociation
Relationship Impacts
A child’s relationship with their caregivers—whether they be parents, grandparents, or other familial or non-familial adults—is vital to their emotional and physical health. Children’s attachment to their caregivers can help them learn to trust others, manage emotions, and positively interact with the world around them.
When a child experiences a trauma that teaches them that they cannot trust or rely on that caregiver, they’re likely to believe that the world around them is a scary place and people are dangerous. This lesson makes it incredibly difficult to form relationships throughout their childhood andadulthood.
Children who experience trauma are also likely to struggle with romantic relationships in adulthood. A 2017 study in theJournal of Family Psychologyfound that spouses with a history ofchild abusetend to have less satisfying marriages, even when still in the newlywed phase.
Renteria notes that the lasting effects of trauma often depend on the nature and severity of the event. In some cases, it may lead to feelings of anxiety oravoidance copingthat some partners may find frustrating or confusing.
Yolanda Renteria, LPCOn the other hand, repeated experiences of trauma in childhood can make people feel like they are not capable of having healthy and nurturing relationships.
Yolanda Renteria, LPC
On the other hand, repeated experiences of trauma in childhood can make people feel like they are not capable of having healthy and nurturing relationships.
She also explains that some common relationship struggles that can stem from such trauma include:
Signs and Causes of Attachment Issues
Other Impacts
Additional impacts can include:
Children experiencing traumatic events may also have a reduced ability to parent their own kids later in life.
Untreated Childhood TraumaWhen childhood trauma goes untreated, issues related to the trauma are oftennot resolvedand, as a result, can be felt long-term. Not receiving treatment also limits the possibility of preventing some of the negative consequences associated with trauma, even on a biological level.For example, one study found that patients with untreated childhood trauma had greater glucocorticoid resistance.Glucocorticoid resistance is highly associated withdepression. These findings suggest that a lack of treatment for trauma may, directly and indirectly, contribute to the development of depression.
Untreated Childhood Trauma
When childhood trauma goes untreated, issues related to the trauma are oftennot resolvedand, as a result, can be felt long-term. Not receiving treatment also limits the possibility of preventing some of the negative consequences associated with trauma, even on a biological level.For example, one study found that patients with untreated childhood trauma had greater glucocorticoid resistance.Glucocorticoid resistance is highly associated withdepression. These findings suggest that a lack of treatment for trauma may, directly and indirectly, contribute to the development of depression.
When childhood trauma goes untreated, issues related to the trauma are oftennot resolvedand, as a result, can be felt long-term. Not receiving treatment also limits the possibility of preventing some of the negative consequences associated with trauma, even on a biological level.
For example, one study found that patients with untreated childhood trauma had greater glucocorticoid resistance.Glucocorticoid resistance is highly associated withdepression. These findings suggest that a lack of treatment for trauma may, directly and indirectly, contribute to the development of depression.
The Childhood Trauma Test Is Sparking a Dialogue About Mental Health and Safety Online
How to Help Children Who Have Experienced Trauma
Social supportcan be key to reducing the impact trauma has on a child, even as far as reducing their risk ofsuicidal ideation.Here are some ways to support a child after an upsetting event:
Depending on the child’s age and needs, they may be referred for services such ascognitive behavioral therapy,play therapy, orfamily therapy. In some cases, such as when there is a diagnosis of PTSD, medication may also be an option to help treat their symptoms.
The Best Online Therapy Programs for Kids
How Do You Release Your Own Childhood Trauma?
If you experienced trauma as a child and still have some healing to do, there are several actions you can take to help you better cope. Among them are:
Focus on developing predictable, nurturing, and safe environments. The best way to counteract trauma is building an internal sense of safety.—YOLANDA RENTERIA, LPC
Focus on developing predictable, nurturing, and safe environments. The best way to counteract trauma is building an internal sense of safety.
—YOLANDA RENTERIA, LPC
Talking to a mental health professional can also help you start to heal. Therapeutic options may include a number oftrauma-informed therapies, such ascognitive processing therapy (CPT), trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT),eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), andacceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), among others.
How to Heal From Trauma
What This Means For You
If childhood trauma has created negative effects, it is never too late to get help. Whether you’ve adopted a teenager who was abused over a decade ago or you’ve never received help for the traumatic experiences you endured 40 years ago,trauma treatmentcan still be effective and beneficial.
If you or a loved one are struggling with childhood trauma, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
If you or a loved one are struggling with childhood trauma, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
Signs of Childhood Trauma in Adults
24 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.What is child trauma?.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Helping children and youth who have traumatic experiences.American Academy of Pediatrics.Adverse childhood experiences and the lifelong consequences of trauma.Kassam-Adams N.Design, delivery, and evaluation of early interventions for children exposed to acute trauma.Eur J Psychotarumatol. 2014;5:22757. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v5.22757De Bellis MD, Zisk A.The biological effects of childhood trauma.Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2014;23(2):185-vii. doi:10.1016/j.chc.2014.01.002Council on Communications and Media.Virtual violence.Pediatr. 2016;138(2):e20161298. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-1298Brand J, Moore R, Song X, Xie Y.Parental divorce is not uniformly disruptive to children’s educational attainment.PNAS. 2019;116(15):7266-7271. doi:10.1073/pnas.1813049116U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.How common is PTSD in children and teens?.Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US).Exhibit 1.3-4: DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for PTSD.Trauma-informed care in behavioral health services.University of Rochester Medical Center.Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children.American Psychological Association.Children and trauma.Children’s Bureau.Supporting brain development in traumatized children and youth.The National Child Traumatic Stress Network.Effects.Gilbert LK, Breiding MJ, Merrick MT, et al.Childhood adversity and adult chronic disease: An update from ten states and the District of Columbia, 2010.Am J Prev Med. 2015;48(3):345-349. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2014.09.006Zarse E, Neff M, Yoder R, Hulvershorn L, Chambers J, Chambers R.The adverse childhood experiences questionnaire: Two decades of research on childhood trauma as a primary cause of adult mental illness, addiction, and medical diseases.Cogent Med. 2019;6(1):1581447. doi:10.1080/2331205X.2019.1581447Wagner KD.Effects of childhood trauma on depression and suicidality in adulthood.Psychiatric Times. 2016;33(11).Huh HJ, Kim SY, Yu JJ, Chae JH.Childhood trauma and adult interpersonal relationship problems in patients with depression and anxiety disorders.Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2014;13:26. doi:10.1186/s12991-014-0026-yNguyen T, Karney B, Bradbury T.Childhood abuse and later marital outcomes: So partner characteristics moderate the association?.J Fam Psychol. 2017;31(1):82-92. doi:10.1037/fam0000208Fox B, Perez N, Cass E, Baglivio M, Epps N.Trauma changes everything: Examining the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and serious, violent and chronic juvenile offenders.Child Abuse Neglect. 2015;46:163-173. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.01.011Nikkheslat N, McLaughlin A, Hastings C, et al.Childhood trauma, HPA axis activity and antidepressant response in patients with depression.Brain Behav Immun. 2020;87:229-237. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2019.11.024Xie P, Wu K, Zheng Y, et al.Prevalence of childhood trauma and correlations between childhood trauma, suicidal ideation, and social support in patients with depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia in southern China.J Affect Disord. 2018;228:41-8. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.11.011Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Post-traumatic stress disorder in children.National Institute of Mental Health.Coping with traumatic events.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Recognizing and treating child traumatic stress.
24 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.What is child trauma?.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Helping children and youth who have traumatic experiences.American Academy of Pediatrics.Adverse childhood experiences and the lifelong consequences of trauma.Kassam-Adams N.Design, delivery, and evaluation of early interventions for children exposed to acute trauma.Eur J Psychotarumatol. 2014;5:22757. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v5.22757De Bellis MD, Zisk A.The biological effects of childhood trauma.Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2014;23(2):185-vii. doi:10.1016/j.chc.2014.01.002Council on Communications and Media.Virtual violence.Pediatr. 2016;138(2):e20161298. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-1298Brand J, Moore R, Song X, Xie Y.Parental divorce is not uniformly disruptive to children’s educational attainment.PNAS. 2019;116(15):7266-7271. doi:10.1073/pnas.1813049116U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.How common is PTSD in children and teens?.Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US).Exhibit 1.3-4: DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for PTSD.Trauma-informed care in behavioral health services.University of Rochester Medical Center.Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children.American Psychological Association.Children and trauma.Children’s Bureau.Supporting brain development in traumatized children and youth.The National Child Traumatic Stress Network.Effects.Gilbert LK, Breiding MJ, Merrick MT, et al.Childhood adversity and adult chronic disease: An update from ten states and the District of Columbia, 2010.Am J Prev Med. 2015;48(3):345-349. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2014.09.006Zarse E, Neff M, Yoder R, Hulvershorn L, Chambers J, Chambers R.The adverse childhood experiences questionnaire: Two decades of research on childhood trauma as a primary cause of adult mental illness, addiction, and medical diseases.Cogent Med. 2019;6(1):1581447. doi:10.1080/2331205X.2019.1581447Wagner KD.Effects of childhood trauma on depression and suicidality in adulthood.Psychiatric Times. 2016;33(11).Huh HJ, Kim SY, Yu JJ, Chae JH.Childhood trauma and adult interpersonal relationship problems in patients with depression and anxiety disorders.Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2014;13:26. doi:10.1186/s12991-014-0026-yNguyen T, Karney B, Bradbury T.Childhood abuse and later marital outcomes: So partner characteristics moderate the association?.J Fam Psychol. 2017;31(1):82-92. doi:10.1037/fam0000208Fox B, Perez N, Cass E, Baglivio M, Epps N.Trauma changes everything: Examining the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and serious, violent and chronic juvenile offenders.Child Abuse Neglect. 2015;46:163-173. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.01.011Nikkheslat N, McLaughlin A, Hastings C, et al.Childhood trauma, HPA axis activity and antidepressant response in patients with depression.Brain Behav Immun. 2020;87:229-237. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2019.11.024Xie P, Wu K, Zheng Y, et al.Prevalence of childhood trauma and correlations between childhood trauma, suicidal ideation, and social support in patients with depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia in southern China.J Affect Disord. 2018;228:41-8. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.11.011Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Post-traumatic stress disorder in children.National Institute of Mental Health.Coping with traumatic events.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Recognizing and treating child traumatic stress.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.What is child trauma?.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Helping children and youth who have traumatic experiences.American Academy of Pediatrics.Adverse childhood experiences and the lifelong consequences of trauma.Kassam-Adams N.Design, delivery, and evaluation of early interventions for children exposed to acute trauma.Eur J Psychotarumatol. 2014;5:22757. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v5.22757De Bellis MD, Zisk A.The biological effects of childhood trauma.Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2014;23(2):185-vii. doi:10.1016/j.chc.2014.01.002Council on Communications and Media.Virtual violence.Pediatr. 2016;138(2):e20161298. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-1298Brand J, Moore R, Song X, Xie Y.Parental divorce is not uniformly disruptive to children’s educational attainment.PNAS. 2019;116(15):7266-7271. doi:10.1073/pnas.1813049116U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.How common is PTSD in children and teens?.Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US).Exhibit 1.3-4: DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for PTSD.Trauma-informed care in behavioral health services.University of Rochester Medical Center.Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children.American Psychological Association.Children and trauma.Children’s Bureau.Supporting brain development in traumatized children and youth.The National Child Traumatic Stress Network.Effects.Gilbert LK, Breiding MJ, Merrick MT, et al.Childhood adversity and adult chronic disease: An update from ten states and the District of Columbia, 2010.Am J Prev Med. 2015;48(3):345-349. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2014.09.006Zarse E, Neff M, Yoder R, Hulvershorn L, Chambers J, Chambers R.The adverse childhood experiences questionnaire: Two decades of research on childhood trauma as a primary cause of adult mental illness, addiction, and medical diseases.Cogent Med. 2019;6(1):1581447. doi:10.1080/2331205X.2019.1581447Wagner KD.Effects of childhood trauma on depression and suicidality in adulthood.Psychiatric Times. 2016;33(11).Huh HJ, Kim SY, Yu JJ, Chae JH.Childhood trauma and adult interpersonal relationship problems in patients with depression and anxiety disorders.Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2014;13:26. doi:10.1186/s12991-014-0026-yNguyen T, Karney B, Bradbury T.Childhood abuse and later marital outcomes: So partner characteristics moderate the association?.J Fam Psychol. 2017;31(1):82-92. doi:10.1037/fam0000208Fox B, Perez N, Cass E, Baglivio M, Epps N.Trauma changes everything: Examining the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and serious, violent and chronic juvenile offenders.Child Abuse Neglect. 2015;46:163-173. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.01.011Nikkheslat N, McLaughlin A, Hastings C, et al.Childhood trauma, HPA axis activity and antidepressant response in patients with depression.Brain Behav Immun. 2020;87:229-237. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2019.11.024Xie P, Wu K, Zheng Y, et al.Prevalence of childhood trauma and correlations between childhood trauma, suicidal ideation, and social support in patients with depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia in southern China.J Affect Disord. 2018;228:41-8. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.11.011Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Post-traumatic stress disorder in children.National Institute of Mental Health.Coping with traumatic events.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Recognizing and treating child traumatic stress.
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.What is child trauma?.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Helping children and youth who have traumatic experiences.
American Academy of Pediatrics.Adverse childhood experiences and the lifelong consequences of trauma.
Kassam-Adams N.Design, delivery, and evaluation of early interventions for children exposed to acute trauma.Eur J Psychotarumatol. 2014;5:22757. doi:10.3402/ejpt.v5.22757
De Bellis MD, Zisk A.The biological effects of childhood trauma.Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2014;23(2):185-vii. doi:10.1016/j.chc.2014.01.002
Council on Communications and Media.Virtual violence.Pediatr. 2016;138(2):e20161298. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-1298
Brand J, Moore R, Song X, Xie Y.Parental divorce is not uniformly disruptive to children’s educational attainment.PNAS. 2019;116(15):7266-7271. doi:10.1073/pnas.1813049116
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.How common is PTSD in children and teens?.
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US).Exhibit 1.3-4: DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for PTSD.Trauma-informed care in behavioral health services.
University of Rochester Medical Center.Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children.
American Psychological Association.Children and trauma.
Children’s Bureau.Supporting brain development in traumatized children and youth.
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network.Effects.
Gilbert LK, Breiding MJ, Merrick MT, et al.Childhood adversity and adult chronic disease: An update from ten states and the District of Columbia, 2010.Am J Prev Med. 2015;48(3):345-349. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2014.09.006
Zarse E, Neff M, Yoder R, Hulvershorn L, Chambers J, Chambers R.The adverse childhood experiences questionnaire: Two decades of research on childhood trauma as a primary cause of adult mental illness, addiction, and medical diseases.Cogent Med. 2019;6(1):1581447. doi:10.1080/2331205X.2019.1581447
Wagner KD.Effects of childhood trauma on depression and suicidality in adulthood.Psychiatric Times. 2016;33(11).
Huh HJ, Kim SY, Yu JJ, Chae JH.Childhood trauma and adult interpersonal relationship problems in patients with depression and anxiety disorders.Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2014;13:26. doi:10.1186/s12991-014-0026-y
Nguyen T, Karney B, Bradbury T.Childhood abuse and later marital outcomes: So partner characteristics moderate the association?.J Fam Psychol. 2017;31(1):82-92. doi:10.1037/fam0000208
Fox B, Perez N, Cass E, Baglivio M, Epps N.Trauma changes everything: Examining the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and serious, violent and chronic juvenile offenders.Child Abuse Neglect. 2015;46:163-173. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.01.011
Nikkheslat N, McLaughlin A, Hastings C, et al.Childhood trauma, HPA axis activity and antidepressant response in patients with depression.Brain Behav Immun. 2020;87:229-237. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2019.11.024
Xie P, Wu K, Zheng Y, et al.Prevalence of childhood trauma and correlations between childhood trauma, suicidal ideation, and social support in patients with depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia in southern China.J Affect Disord. 2018;228:41-8. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.11.011
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Post-traumatic stress disorder in children.
National Institute of Mental Health.Coping with traumatic events.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Recognizing and treating child traumatic stress.
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