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Tyler Minge

Professor Morean

ENG 1201

25 April 2020

Childhood Trauma and its Effects on Adulthood Physiological Behavior

Although trauma may affect us all what most people don’t understand is that the behavior

we portray as adults may evolve from childhood trauma. This essay will address the question of

"Childhood trauma and its effects on adulthood physiological behavior." It will touch on hard to

talk about topics that ultimately influence everyday emotional and moral decision making as an

adult. These topics include things such as child abuse, rape, economic status, education, and

family relations.

To understand psychology and the actions and decision that adults make it's important to

understand what leads us to do the things we do and how we do them. Childhood is often

overlooked but it’s initially one of the most important influential factors in an individual’s life.

Childhood events are important factors as that’s when we start to develop common emotions of

anger, happiness, guilt, and bias. Alicia Lieberman, professor at the University of California at

San Francisco, studies psychiatry and states a compelling argument. Professor Lieberman found

that “basic research shows that young babies even five months old can remember that a stranger

came into the room and scared them three weeks before. Even though the babies were pre-verbal,

they can later remember traumatic events that occurred to them.” ("Babies Can Remember

Traumatic Events for Years" 2019). Even without hard details and facts about traumatic events

as a child certain characteristic can indeed trigger these memories to appear decades later

through things like sounds, smells, and visual cues.

Depression and mental illness are important characteristics that greatly affect many of use

as adults but what most people don’t realize is that many more people experience these

characteristics in early to late childhood. This early exposure and experience of depression and

mental illnesses been known to greatly influences our behavior as adults. Some individuals may

have suffered from mental illness as teens and no longer do as adults but there are still

unforeseen long-term effects that alter adulthood behavior. In the article “Effects of Childhood

Trauma on Depression and Suicidality in Adulthood,” it is stated that “children who were bullied

had a high risk of depression and anxiety disorders in adulthood.” (Wagner 2016). Most anxiety

disorders are classified as coping mechanisms for physical and mental trauma. The article

“Depression in Children,” published by the Cleveland Clinic, states that there is more biological

reasoning for childhood trauma like epilepsy, diabetes, and other physical illness (Cleveland

Clinic).

Misconceptions are often assumed when it comes to childhood trauma as it is a sensitive

topic that is not talked about much. For example, many people believe that childhood trauma

doesn’t influence adult behavior and as time goes on children start to forget childhood memories.

However, that is often not the case. Another misconception is that children who experience

trauma show negative effects in adulthood behavior. This is not necessarily the case as many

adults don’t exabit negative actions but instead show signs of moral complications like lying and

cheating. The article, “How Childhood Trauma Makes Us Vulnerable to Abuse” by Darlene

Lancer, states that “this is when trauma is internalized and has a life of its own inside our brain

and nervous systems. It impacts our emotions, our thinking, and often every part of our life.”

(Lancer).
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Although many of today’s youth have and will experience depression and mental illness

there are recognizable behaviors. The good news is that if the signs are recognized there are

treatment options available. Additionally, these treatment options such as therapy and

medications may prevent the escalation of the behaviors so that the effect on adulthood may be

less. Understanding that the signs of depression and mental illness manifest differently in a child

versus an adult is important in combating these issues. The Anxiety and Depression Association

of America states that children are more prone to express more physical symptoms (Bhatia

2018). These symptoms include separation distress, aches and pains, and restlessness (Bhatia

2018). The article “Anxiety and Depression in Children” published by the Anxiety and

Depression Association of America states that environmental aspects are to blame. These include

things like a shift in grades and mood swings (“Depression Association of America, ADAA”).

Although these symptoms may seem like normal conditions and behaviors for many, they are not

for children and can indicate serious mental health issues that could unintentionally affect them

as adults.

The Sylia Brafman Mental Health Center expresses that “childhood trauma chips away at

a child’s stability and sense of self, undermining self-worth and often staying with the child into

adulthood. This trauma can also impact a person far into adulthood as they experience feelings of

shame and guilt, feeling disconnected and unable to relate to others, trouble controlling

emotions, heightened anxiety, depression, and anger” (The Sylia Brafman Mental Health Center

2019). This impact on adulthood can greatly alter the proficiency of being a great significant

other or even a parent.

More common signs of childhood depression included concentration deficiency, sleep

disorders, obesity and anorexia, self-esteem issues, and drug activities (Depression Association
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of America, ADAA). These are all the unfortunate effects of what depression and mental illness

can do not only in childhood but also later in life as adults. Preventing childhood depression and

mental illness is not the only way to prevent unethical adult behavior. There are also many forms

of treatments not only for adults but also for children. However, when treating children, it is

important to understand that there must be a different approach to treatment compared to adults.

There are two main and effective forms of psychological treatment in youth who are

affected by depression and mental illness. These forms include therapy and pharmaceuticals.

Therapy is overall the more effective and less invasive form of treatment. It relies more on

positive psychological breakthroughs and not just the chemical imbalance in the brain that is

disturbed by antidepressants. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America,

it is recommended that therapy is the best form of treatment for youth under the age of ten

(Depression Association of America, ADAA). Therapy is the preferred treatment for the young

because using antidepressants on a brain that is underdeveloped can damage the brain and

unfortunately make mental health worse for the child who continues to mature. On top of that the

use of antidepressants on a child that young can cause psychological disabilities.

Another effect that childhood trauma has on adulthood physiological behavior is suicide.

This is ultimately the most unfortunate outcome of childhood trauma. Therefore, understanding

the behaviors and knowing the treatment options in adolescents is very important to prevent

suicide in adults. According to psychiatry professor, Dr. Lisa Cohen at Icahn School of Medicine

at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, “people with histories of childhood trauma often develop difficulties

with managing negative emotion, coping with stress, and maintaining optimism in the face of life

stressors” (Rodriguez 2018). It is these poor coping mechanisms that often lead to suicide.
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In 2016 Dr. Cohen and author Laura DeRubeis conducted a study to “determine whether

impulsivity mediates the relationship between childhood trauma and suicidality in a sample of

113 adult inpatients” (Rodriguez 2018). This study relates to childhood trauma and its effects on

adulthood physiological behavior as they questioned the inpatients on emotional triggers like

emotional as well as physical neglect, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. (2018) These

triggers are all things that a child can experience and ultimately induce suicidal thoughts later in

life. They later found that “both childhood trauma and impulsivity had independent effects on

suicidal ideation. However, childhood trauma was found to have an independent association with

suicide attempts, while impulsivity was not” (2018). These findings were not what they

hypothesized but truly emphasized the effects of childhood trauma.

In a similar study conducted by Professor Daryl O’Connor of the University of Leeds

tested whether childhood trauma and stress increased the overall risk of suicide and whether or

not cortisol levels are related (O'Connor 2020). Professor O’Connor and his team included 160

participants in this study and asked questions via a questionnaire that also related to physical,

sexual, and emotional abuse (2020). After concluding his study Professor O’Connor stated that

“we also found very high levels of childhood trauma in people vulnerable to suicide, in particular

in people who had previously made a suicide attempt. Nearly 80% of people who had attempted

suicide had experienced at least one type of childhood trauma compared with less than 40% in

those who had thought about suicide only, and less than 20% in the controls” (2020). These

numbers put into perspective the results of childhood trauma later in life.

Another chilling result of childhood trauma later in life is psychopathic behavior as well

as violent crimes. Next to suicide this is another horrific result. There have been many studies

conducted to prove whether childhood trauma is related to this type adult behavior. According to
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the article, “Pathways Between Child Maltreatment and Adult Criminal Involvement,” it stated

that “beginning in the 1970s, the study has tracked approximately 450 children from preschool to

adulthood. Reports of child abuse from Child Protective Services records and parental reports of

abusive parenting were collected when the children were 18 months to 6 years of age and linked

to self-reported criminal involvement three decades later” (2017).

In addition, a group of Italian psychologists in 2013 experimented on multiple violent

criminals and hypothesized that the ones who experienced childhood trauma would score higher

on the “Hare Psychopathy Checklist—Revised (PCL-R) (Craparo, Schimmenti, & Caretti 2013).

Of the 22 criminals included in this study; 14 committed murder, 4 committed rape, and 4 were

child sex offenders (2013). After they concluded their experiment, they found that “there was a

high prevalence of childhood experiences of neglect and abuse among the offenders. Higher

levels of childhood relational trauma were found among participants who obtained high scores

on the PCL-R” (2013). This experiment showed that childhood trauma does lead to psychopathic

behavior as well as violent crime.

When it comes to this kind of criminal behavior it is also occasionally mimicked as an

adult based on the certain type of trauma experienced as a child. For instance, if a child is

introduced to violent behavior as a child as they are more likely to induce violent behavior as an

adult. Another example could be a child who is sexually assaulted and later in life becomes a

sexual predator. This is an extreme result of childhood trauma and its effect on adult psychologic

behavior. Therefore, it is crucial to stay observant when a child is expected of enduring any of

these behaviors.

Another less thought about effect that childhood trauma may have on us is the result of

our individual socioeconomic status. An example of socioeconomic status is social class. Social
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classes are defined by an individual’s financial status, career choice, and lifestyle. If we dig

deeper into the possible causes of what makes certain individuals fall into a higher social call it

all starts to make sense. For example, a young child is verbally abused consistently and hears the

phrase “you are not good enough to be anything.” As the child grows older that phrase is going

to impact their determination when situations may require a little more motivation. This could

stop someone from continuing to move forward in life whether it's through schooling, a job

interview, or raising a family when times are difficult. Furthermore, according to the meta-

analysis by Mandelli, Petrelli, & Serretti, “emotional abuse showed the strongest association

with depression” (2015).

A study conducted by Professor Seth Pollak of the University of Wisconsin-Madison

tested whether one’s trauma as a child can affect their decision making as an adult (Kirk &

CityLab 2017). This study was based on 50 individuals close to the age of twenty (2017). This

experiment used two different methods to obtain their data. A traditional questioner was used as

well as brain scans (2017). The brain scans were unique since these scans measured brain

activity when testing one’s decision making (2017). As this study came to an end the results

were quite interesting. Professor Pollak found that “extreme poverty tends to be associated with

these traumatizing environments: Economic uncertainty puts parents under stress, which trickles

down to children; food and housing insecurity can further exacerbate these stresses” (2017). This

relates to the effects of childhood trauma in a specific way. Growing up in poverty can indeed be

a form of trauma. Although growing up in poverty doesn’t necessarily affect a child directly it

can affect how they see the world as an adult. Poverty is a characteristic that is hard to control for

a child. However, if you can control all aspects that go into poverty like, food availability,

education, and safety then you can control the overall child's outlook on life.
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As mentioned earlier mental illness in adulthood can be directly related to childhood

trauma. But another question remains as to why certain mental illness are more prone to appear

later in life than others. Although some mental illnesses are genetic, a lot of the time they can be

brought on by traumatic events. An example of this would be post-traumatic stress disorder

(PTSD). PTSD as defined by the American Psychiatric Association is “a psychiatric disorder that

can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural

disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist attack, war/combat, rape, or other violent person assault”

(2013). Basically, PTSD is a shift in personality and mood as a result of traumatic life

experiences. Those who suffer from PTSD may have strong upsetting and disturbing feelings

related to the trauma. These feelings may surface through flashbacks and nightmares. Frequently

many soldiers who take part in combat suffer from PTSD and this greatly affects their ability to

take part in a normal life once they return home. This is the same for children as they may avoid

situations or people who remind them of the traumatic events. Furthermore, they may have more

intense feelings of sadness, fear, anger, and even detachment (2013). Although PTSD can be

treated it takes time and it depends on the type of trauma that the child endured.

The preferred treatment for PTSD in children is Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior

Therapy (TF-CBT). This type of treatment involves both the traumatized child and a parent. TF-

CBT is a four-step process that is composed of psychoeducation, skills-building, trauma

narrative, and sharing (Kaufman 2020). Results have shown that in the state of Connecticut, the

percentage of children that were in the Child Protective Services System that needed inpatient

psychiatric care decreased by 35% (2020).

According to Dr. Liam Parsonage, “people who have complex PTSD often present with

co-morbid psychiatric conditions and patients will often not disclose that they have experienced
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trauma in their childhood and therefore present with another mental health or physical health

problem, relationship or behavioral problems” (Priory Group). Dr. Liam Parsonage stated that

these problems that evolve as the result of childhood trauma are the ones that can appear later in

life as adults (Priory Group). He further expresses the importance of treatment to prevent

psychiatric conditions (Priory Group).

In recent years studies have found that childhood trauma is linked the use of drugs and

other illegal substances as adults. This can occur through biological aspects and through

behavioral aspects (O’Leary, 2020). Biologically our brains began to mature during childhood.

As we age our neurons adapt to social and environmental situations that we are exposed to. As

we physically grow and mature, we must learn how to deal with certain influences. If a child is

exposed to drugs due to growing up in a house surrounded by drug behavior a child will then

have a higher predisposition for the same risky behavior later in life.

Environmental factors also play a role in drug addiction trigged by a trauma filled youth.

Children who experience trauma such as neglect, abuse, sexual assault are more likely to use

drugs (O’Leary, 2002). “A person who is abused or traumatized may develop dysfunctional

defensive strategies or behaviors designed to ward off emotional and psychological pain”

(Dayton 2000). Furthermore, according to the Foundations Recovery Network, “about 2/3 of all

addicts have previously experienced some type of physical or sexual trauma during childhood”

(O’Leary, 2020). This statistic is unfortunate but not surprising as the children who experienced

these types of traumas rely on drugs to cope with their past. When children experience trauma,

they are left with deficits in their psychological development. These gaps are often related to

their nurturing relationship with others. In order to cope with these emotional gaps, they turn to
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drugs and other risky behaviors. In the interest of trying to prevent this trauma driven drug

addiction, we must address the trauma that is taking place in childhood.

In conclusion, the trauma that we may experience as a child can greatly affect our overall

life as adults. Whether it’s because of past physical and emotional abuse or witnessing horrific

acts these things can shape our outlook in life. To prevent these undesirable outlooks, we now

know that the easiest way is to pay attention to our youth and ask questions when needed.

Moving forward it’s important to understand that others may have had hard childhoods and the

negative behavior they express may be the result of traumatic events.

Works Cited

“Anxiety and Depression in Children.” Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA,

adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/children/anxiety-and-depression.

“Babies Can Remember Traumatic Events for Years.” Promises Behavioral Health, 1 Aug.

2019, www.promisesbehavioralhealth.com/addiction-recovery-blog/babies-can-

remember-traumatic-events-for-years/.

Bhatia, Richa. “Childhood Depression.” Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA,

Oct. 2018, adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/childhood-

depression.

Craparo, Giuseppe, et al. “Traumatic Experiences in Childhood and Psychopathy: a Study on a

Sample of Violent Offenders from Italy.” European Journal of Psychotraumatology, Co-

Action Publishing, 20 Dec. 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3871837/.

Cleveland Clinic, “Depression in Children: Symptoms, Suicide Signs & Treatment.” 

my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14938-depression-in-children.

Dayton, Tian. Trauma and Addiction: Ending the Cycle of Pain through Emotional Literacy.

Health Communication, 2000.

“How Childhood Trauma Affects Us As Adults: Mental Health.” Mental Health Center, 3 Apr.

2019, www.mentalhealthcenter.org/how-childhood-trauma-affects-adult-relationships/.

Kaufman, Joan. “What's the Best Treatment for PTSD in Children?” Child Mind Institute, The

Child MInd Institute, 2020, childmind.org/article/whats-the-best-treatment-for-ptsd-in-

children/.

Kirk, Mimi, and CityLab. “What Childhood Trauma Does To Young Adults.” CityLab, 6 Dec.

2017, www.citylab.com/equity/2017/12/the-long-shadow-of-childhood-trauma/547388/.
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Lancer, Darlene. “How Childhood Trauma Makes Us Vulnerable to Abuse.” Psychology Today,

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/toxic-relationships/201905/how-childhood-trauma-

makes-us-vulnerable-abuse.

Mandelli, L., et al. “The Role of Specific Early Trauma in Adult Depression: A Meta-Analysis of

Published Literature. Childhood Trauma and Adult Depression.” European Psychiatry,

vol. 30, no. 6, 2015, pp. 665–680., doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2015.04.007.

National Institute of Justice, "Pathways Between Child Maltreatment and Adult Criminal

Involvement," October 11, 2017, nij.ojp.gov:

https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/pathways-between-child-maltreatment-and-adult-

criminal-involvement

O'Connor, Daryl. “How We Discovered the Link between Childhood Trauma, a Faulty Stress

Response and Suicide Risk in Later Life.” The Conversation, 10 Mar. 2020,

theconversation.com/how-we-discovered-the-link-between-childhood-trauma-a-faulty-

stress-response-and-suicide-risk-in-later-life-88838.

O'Leary, Dane. “The Unfortunate Connection Between Childhood Trauma and Addiction in

Adulthood.” Dual Diagnosis, Foundations Recovery Network, 2020,

dualdiagnosis.org/unfortunate-connection-childhood-trauma-addiction-adulthood/.

Priory Group, Priory. “Supporting Adults Who Have Experienced Trauma or Abuse in

Childhood.” Supporting Adults with PTSD Who Have Experienced Childhood Trauma or

Abuse | Priory Group, www.priorygroup.com/blog/supporting-adults-who-have-

experienced-trauma-or-abuse-in-childhood.

Rodriguez, Tori. “Childhood Trauma, Not Impulsivity, Linked With Suicide

Attempts.” Psychiatry Advisor, 17 Dec. 2018,

www.psychiatryadvisor.com/home/conference-highlights/apa-2016-coverage/childhood-

trauma-not-impulsivity-linked-with-suicide-attempts/.

Wagner, Karen Dineen. “Effects of Childhood Trauma on Depression and Suicidality in

Adulthood.” Psychiatric Times, 29 Nov. 2016, www.psychiatrictimes.com/child-

adolescent-psychiatry/effects-childhood-trauma-depression-and-suicidality-adulthood.

“What Is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?” What Is PTSD?, 2013, www.psychiatry.org/patients-

families/ptsd/what-is-ptsd.