The impact of childhood trauma on children's wellbeing and adult behavior

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BackgroundThis article looks at the impact of childhood trauma on children's wellbeing and adult behavior from the perspective of 9 clinical professionals in Ireland. It exhibits how physical, sexual and emotional abuse disrupts one's life through analyzing coping strategies and behaviors adopted by childhood trauma victims following adversity exposure. ObjectivesTo examine if coping mechanisms such as denial, self- isolation, drug and alcohol abuse are associated with childhood trauma survivors. Correspondingly, this research investigates if symptoms related to depression and anxiety, sleep disturbance and low self-esteem are consequences of childhood trauma. The final objective explores possible correlations between resilience capacity and social class background. Upon this selection, the authors acknowledge that consequences and post-trauma symptoms can vary depending on numerous factors, including the type of abuse endured by victims. MethodsParticipants were recruited through convenience selection and snowball sampling. Individuals worked in social care, counselling, psychotherapy, psychology and support work. Seven females and two males participated in recorded semi-structured interviews. Six interviews were carried out via phone call and three were conducted face-to-face. Participants shared experiences about their client-based interactions. Participants were assigned a pseudonym to protect their identity. ResultsWithin this study, childhood trauma survivors present alcohol and drug dependency issues, deny the negative impact their adversities have on their wellbeing (especially if it was inflicted by their parents), and construct a false self-image to cope rather than self-isolate. Early onset of trauma may contrive a low self-esteem and depression and anxiety can surface due to feelings of inadequacy. Sleep disturbance did not appear as a consequence of childhood trauma in this study. Social class was not an influential factor in mediating the type of traumatic experiences faced by individuals from different backgrounds. Financial circumstances did however, present as significant in impacting support-service availability. Interventions, treatment plans and social support emerged as crucial in enhancing resilience levels, reversing the onset of problematic behavior and psychiatric conditions. ConclusionChildhood trauma victims exhibit low self-esteem, and experience depression and anxiety. Some deny their trauma history, while others create a false self-image and engage in alcohol and drug misuse in attempts to prevent their traumatic experiences from impacting their life. Early interventions may reduce trauma symptoms alongside sufficient and customized treatment strategies.