Childhood Trauma Essay

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is “a mental condition that can affect a person who has had a very shocking or difficult experience and that is usually characterized by depression, anxiety, etc.” (Merriam-Webster’s, n.d.) Post-traumatic stress disorder can occur after seeing a dangerous event such as war, hurricanes, car accidents, death of a loved one, and violent crimes. It can affect a victim mind, body, and the people around them. While some mental disorders are genetic, this disorder come from the things that people encounter in life. This paper will discuss the risk factor involved with post-traumatic stress disorder as well as treatments that will help overcome it and future research and approaches to treat this psychiatric illness.

Throughout the years, several adults have been affected by traumatic events that have taken place during their childhood(s). Lenore C. Terr (January, 1999) states, "Childhood trauma appears to be a critical etiological factor in the development of a number of serious disorders both in childhood and in adulthood." To better understand childhood trauma, Terr defines this as, the "mental result of one sudden, external or a series of blows, rendering the young person temporarily helpless and breaking past ordinary coping and defense operations" (January, 1999). The statistics of childhood trauma is alarming. In the United States, there are approximately five million children that experience trauma each year, with two million of these cases

those who suffered the worst cases of PTSD had sustained stressful and traumatic childhood abuse. In the study, two groups of

Childhood and adolescence is a crucial time for humans- a time full of physical, emotional, and cognitive development. Upon observing the significant impact that trauma induced stress can have on adults following time in combat or an injury, when adults have fully matured in all areas, it raises the question of what influence post-traumatic stressors can have on development in children. This issue was so significant that in the DSM-5, the psychologists introduced a new, and separate, section of criteria for PTSD that specifically relates to the preschool subtype, or those individuals six years and younger. The first age specific sub-type for this disorder is important due to the rising number of studies and cases of PTSD in children.

Child trauma is an essential factor in future development. Sociological explanations for the existence of serial killers maintain that environmental factors are possibly the most influential and very often permanently affect the later development of a child (1991). As examined in Chapter 1, family environment has significant consequences on child Sears development. Apart from this, peer relationships can also affect the level of growth of social, cognitive, emotional and physical development (Dodge, Lansford et al. (2003). According to American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2012), peers can influence children’s lives. In this chapter, peer relationships and the school environment will be examined to shed some light on the phenomenon of

Furthermore, child abuse has been linked to a variety of changes in the structure and certain functions of the brain, as well as, the stress–responsive systems (Anda et al., 2006). Zaidi and Foy (1994) state, “One pre-military factor with potential important ramifications for development of combat related PTSD is child abuse.” In research by Cabrera, Hoge, Bliese, Castro, and Messer (2007), “Childhood adversity [among veterans] was measured using a modified scale testing for exposure to six adverse experience: (1) exposure to mentally ill person in the home, (2) exposure to an alcoholic adult in the home, (3) sexual abuse, (4) physical abuse, (5) psychological abuse, and (6) violence directed against the respondent’s mother.” Servicemen and women who reported two or more traumatic childhood experiences were at increased risk of meeting the criteria for depression and PTSD (Cabrera at al., 2007). The prevalence of childhood abuse places people at a higher risk of mental illness (e.g. depression and post-traumatic stress disorder), participating in harmful/high risk activities, and having difficulties in relationships (Gahm, Lucenko, Retzlaff, & Fukuda, 2007). Which is clearly demonstrated among our veteran population. The veteran divorce rate in 2011 was 3.7% compared to the civilian divorce rate of 3.2% (Forsling, 2016). Additionally, veterans are the largest population to commit suicide, which is roughly 22 veterans a day take their own life. Thus, each of these prevalence of child abuse are highly correlated to one another, and increases the likelihood of health

“American Psychiatric Association defines trauma as an event that represents a threat to life or personal integrity. Trauma can also be experienced when children are faced with a caregiver who acts erratically, emotional and /or physical neglect, and exploitation” (Maltby, L., & Hall, T. 2012. p. 304). Trauma comes in many different forms including: war, rape, kidnapping, abuse, sudden injury, and

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) added post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to their third edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual In 1980. PSTD was popularized as an adversity but since then the psychiatric theory and practice gap has been filled. PTSD was considered a traumatic etiological (individual) occurrence as oppose to a hereditary occurrence (Friedman, 2015). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a health psychology topic that needs to be discussed more than it is. PTSD stems from an event that has taken place in a person’s life such as an act of violence, car accident, or a natural disaster. Experiencing such events as these can have a deep impact on a person’s life. These events can be identified as an isolated

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a widespread disorder that affects certain individuals psychologically, behaviorally, and emotionally following the experience of a traumatic event (Lee et al., 2005, p. 135). However, because of inconsistencies regarding the percentage of individuals who experience PTSD and the percentage of individuals who subsequently develop PTSD, researchers hypothesize that both biological and environmental factors contribute to the development of PTSD (Wolf et al. 2010, p. 328). In order gain a better understanding of this disorder and to discover contributing and predicative factors which contribute to the development of PTSD, this paper analyses the historical context and prevalence of PTSD, the

The most critical component in the psychological development of a lust murderer is violent fantasy. Fantasies accompany "intrusive thoughts about killing someone that are associated with other distressing psychopathological processes". Sometimes the experience of killing can generate new fantasies of violence, creating a repetitive cycle. The purpose of fantasy is total control of the victim, whereas a sexual assault can be used as a vehicle for control. Sexual torture becomes a tool to degrade, humiliate, and subjugate the victim. Often victims are selected by the killer to stand as a proxy, resulting from childhood trauma. Typically, fantasies involve one or several forms of paraphilia. And of course, personality disorders and mental illnesses

The key concept of this literature review is to better understand how childhood trauma is associated with mental health, such as post-traumatic stress disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects 7.7 million American adults and can also occur during childhood. PTSD is an anxiety disorder that stems from a recent emotional threat such as a natural, disaster, war, and car accidents. PTSD usually occurs from an injury or coming close death. A person who has experienced a past traumatic event has a heightened chance of being diagnosed with PTSD after a current trauma. PTSD can also be determined by looking at one’s genes, different emotions, and current or past family setting. Normally, when a person without PTSD goes through a traumatic event the body releases stress hormones, which in time returns back to normal; However, a person with PTSD releases stress hormones that do not return

There are many types of trauma that can effect an adolescent and without the proper treatment of the traumatic event the adolescent can have difficulty adapting and developing into adulthood. Kathleen J. Moroz, of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, defines trauma as a physical or psychological threat or assault to a child’s physical integrity, sense of self, safety of survival or to the physical safety of another person significant to the child. She goes on to list the types of trauma a child may be exposed to. Abuse of every kind, domestic violence, natural disasters, abandonment, serious illness or an accident are just a few traumatic events that can effect the development of a child. (2) When these events occur as an acute event

Psychology researchers have conducted many case studies and have spent countless hours reviewing case studies that have already been done to try to find the answer to the question, does childhood trauma cause and effect the symptoms of patients with psychological disorders such as Schizophrenia and Psychosis, or can the trauma cause a patient to have Schizophrenia or Psychosis. Many case studies’ findings state that there is a link. Some studies say only certain symptoms are affected. I want to know what symptoms are affected and what kind of childhood trauma could have possibly affected the symptoms of patients who have been diagnosed with Schizophrenia and Psychosis, or if the childhood trauma could have caused a patient‘s mental

Hatanaka, M., Matsui, Y., Ando, K., Inoue, K., Fukuoka, Y., Koshiro, E., & Itamura, H. (2010). Traumatic stress in Japanese broadcast journalists. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23(1), 173-177.