Childhood trauma is often categorized as a mental health issue—an assumption that fails to encompass the long-lasting, devastating consequences of childhood trauma in the realm of public health across generations.
Childhood is the foundation on which our brain is built. Early experiences — particularly chronic stress and trauma — can permanently alter the expression of the epigenome. For instance, early childhood trauma can result in a hyperactive amygdala and decreased hippocampus, thus spurring excess stress signals and a diminished capacity to compare new stimuli to stored memories (Matosin et al., 2017).
Not only can childhood trauma impact the brain irreversibly, but it is also linked to a risk of obesity, diabetes, depression, suicide, degeneration of key brain structures (e.g., the corpus callosum), and more (Dye, 2018). The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study conveys that adverse early life experiences are significant predictors of “medical disorders in adulthood, including cancer, liver disease, skeletal fractures, chronic lung disease, and ischemic heart disease” (Flaherty et al., 2006). In this sense, childhood trauma presents a public health crisis.
One of the primary risks for childhood trauma is poverty, meaning that the most vulnerable of youth lack the necessary resources to receive treatment (Nikulina et al., 2010). As Judith Herman put it in Trauma and Recovery, “The systematic study of psychological trauma, therefore, depends on the support of a political movement” (Herman, 9).
In Bruce Perry’s The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog, he finds that resilience can be achieved through living in a stable environment, regaining a sense of control, and connecting with others. Unfortunately, many of the most at-risk youth do not have the resources to achieve these goals. Thus, an emphasis on accessible child welfare services and affordable healthcare for all must be brought forth in the political sphere.
These life-threatening risks do not end with the individual who experienced the trauma firsthand—they can be passed down throughout generations (Prager, 2010). For these reasons, childhood trauma is one of the most imminent threats to equality and demands more attention from the public and policymakers regarding the intersections between public health, politics, and mental health.
References
Dye, H. (2018, February 7). The impact and long-term effects of childhood trauma. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 28(3), 381-392. Taylor and Francis Online. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2018.1435328
Matosin, N., Cruceanu, C., & Binder, E. B. (16, June 2017). Early Brain Development and Health. Chronic Stress (Thousand Oaks). National Library of Medicine. 10.1177/2470547017710764
Nikulina, V., Widom, C. S., & Czaja, S. (2010, November 30). The Role of Childhood Neglect and Childhood Poverty in Predicting Mental Health, Academic Achievement and Crime in Adulthood. American Journal of Community Psychology, 48(3-4), 309-321. National Library of Medicine. 10.1007/s10464-010-9385-y
Flaherty, E. G., Thompson, R., & Litrownik, A. (2006, December 1). Effect of Early Childhood Adversity on Child Health. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 160(12), 1232-1238. JAMA Pediatrics. 10.1001/archpedi.160.12.1232
Prager, J. (2010, August 3). Lost childhood, lost generations: The intergenerational transmission of trauma. Journal of Human Rights, 2(2), 173-181. 10.1080/1475483032000078161
Herman, J. L. (2015). Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence–From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. Basic Books.
Perry, B. D., & Szalavitz, M. (2007). The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog. Basic Books.