Childhood Trauma

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Childhood trauma…

What is childhood trauma?

A traumatic event poses a threat to a child’s life or physical safety. This includes events that are frightening, dangerous, or violent.

For some kids, there may be no time for healing between traumatic events — their life is in an almost constant state of chronic stress and trauma.

Examples of childhood trauma include:

  • physical abuse
  • sexual abuse
  • psychological and emotional abuse
  • neglect
  • natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, or fires
  • homelessness
  • racism
  • serious accidents or life threatening illness
  • violent loss of a loved one
  • sexual exploitation
  • refugee and war experiences
  • community and school violence witnessing 
  • experiencing family or partner violence
  • military stressors like loss, injury, or parental deployment

Childhood trauma affects each person differently. However, there are some common signs and symptoms to watch out for in both kids and adults.

In preschool and elementary-age children: separation anxiety, becoming anxious and fearful, difficulty sleeping and increase in nightmares, crying or acting out, decrease in appetite moodiness, and increased aggression and anger.

Teens can experience all of the signs mentioned above, plus the following:

Irritability, withdrawal from social activities, academic problems, self-blame for the event (guilt and shame), feeling depressed, difficulty concentrating, eating disorders, other self-harm behaviours, and increase in behaviours like sexual activity and alcohol or drug use.

In adults, unresolved childhood trauma can take on many forms.

For example, female adults who experience sexual abuse as a child or teen often show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), distorted self-perception, shame, fear, guilt, self-blame, humiliation, and chronic physical pain.

Adults dealing with PTSD from childhood trauma can struggle in their jobs, interpersonal relationships, and with their own mental health.

Here are some emotional, physical, and behavioral signs to be aware of:

  • anxiety depression
  • panic attacks
  • poor concentration
  • fatigue impulsiveness
  • problems with sleep
  • chronic health conditions
  • compulsion self-harm chronic stress and inflammation
  • isolation eating disorders
  • suicidal ideation