Long-term Effects of Childhood Trauma

As researchers continue to look at the long-term effects of childhood trauma, one thing is clear - what happens to us as children can have a lasting impact in our lives both physically and emotionally.  Robin Karr-Morris and Meredith S. Wiley, known for their earlier work, Ghosts From the Nursery (still on my bookshelf after many years), have released a new book entitled Scared Sick: The Role of Childhood Trauma and Adult Disease.  You can find an interview Salon.com did with Karr-Morris about this topic at http://www.salon.com/2012/01/02/how_stress_is_really_hurting_our_kids/singleton/.  As in their earlier work, the authors focus on the impact on a child in the womb, when their mother experiences trauma, and in the early years of life when the child is directly exposed to traumatic events.

Another resource for looking at the physical and behavioral effects of adverse childhood experiences, can be found at www.acestudy.org.   The Adult Childhood Experience (ACE) Study is a collaborative effort between Kaiser Permenente and the Centers for Disease Control.  The study is the first of its kind and looks at the relationship between childhood trauma and behavioral and physical conditions later in life. As the old saying goes, the mind forgets but the body never does, and researchers are finding links between those things that can be traumatic to children (abuse, neglect, divorce, family violence, substance abuse, etc.), and significant health problems such as heart disease, lung disease, and other health issues that can result in impairment and/or early death.

If your center or chapter has a prevention program, this information can help inform community members, policy makers, and funders of the importance of prevention and early intervention of child abuse and neglect. 

Thanks to the Children's Advocacy Center of Jackson County in Medford, Oregon for posting the Salon.com link on their Facebook page.