Childhood Trauma and Its Effects on Adolescent Development Essay Example

What factors influence who you are now as a result of your early experiences? Simply because the variety of experiences we have had since childhood have influenced our attitudes and behavior to a variety of situations. Many teens were affected by these negative experiences that caused them to have pessimistic thoughts. 

It is estimated that at least one in seven children have experienced abuse and/or neglect in the past year. Nearly 30% of mental disorders were linked to childhood trauma and adversity. Teens are at a higher risk of developing mental disorders due to stress from school, bullying and low self esteem. 

There are multiple health issues that develop as a result of these negative childhood trauma.

Chronic diseases

Trauma can cause the child's stress response system to go into overdrive for the rest of his or her life. As a result of the increased inflammation caused by the heightened stress reactions, autoimmune disorders and other ailments may develop or be triggered. Children, teenagers, and adults who have undergone physical and psychological trauma are more prone to employ unhealthy coping techniques including smoking, substance abuse, overeating, and hypersexuality as a coping mechanism. In addition to a heightened inflammatory response, these habits can place teens at a higher risk of getting certain diseases. 

Poor academic performance

In some cases, trauma can negatively impact a student's learning ability.  IQ can be decreased as a result of violence exposure. Some students may find that intrusive thoughts about the event interfere with their ability to concentrate in class, study, or do well on a test. Some of these teens are more inclined to isolate themselves, carrying a huge weight all by themselves, which leads to diversions.

Aggression

During a study , researchers revealed that children with higher childhood trauma scores had lower plasma oxytocin levels, possibly leading to increased aggression. Oxytocin lowers the cortisol levels which increase in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in response to stress. Research also suggests that traumatic experiences that involve exploitation or violence are most likely to result in this. These issues lead to frequent outbursts of extreme emotions, such as anger and rage

Post traumatic stress disorder 

A child or adolescent may feel that they cannot escape the effects of trauma. As a result, they avoid people or situations that remind them of the trauma. They may have dreams or nightmares about the event that feel very real, or sometimes they will experience memories or flashbacks of it. Adolescents may engage in a variety of potentially harmful activities in an attempt to escape or relieve the extreme negative feelings that accompany traumatic stress, such as obsessive sexual activity, self-mutilation, bingeing and purging, and even suicide attempts. 

“PTSD occurs following a trauma that was so awful that in retrospect you don’t understand how you survived. What that causes is an extreme feeling of vulnerability that you get past but that doesn’t go away.” – Paul Goulston 

In conclusion, many adolescents are affected by childhood trauma that slowly crushes their spirit and happiness. Let's improve society by lending a listening ear to those in need.