The Impact Of Childhood Trauma On Women In Adulthood
The legacy left behind from childhood trauma will continue to torment female survivors for the rest of their lives. Women with histories of childhood trauma continue to be victimized even years later as they enter into adulthood. Their health, functioning, and quality of life are all negatively affected. Survivors are particularly at risk of mental health issues and difficulty with interpersonal relationships and socializing. Likewise, the survivors typically perceive others and the world in a different way than women without experiences of childhood trauma lingering in their past. They lose trust and begin to enter into relationships with a need to be loved or to oppose others. It has been recorded that those with histories of abuse struggle differently than those with histories of neglect. Similarly, the type of abuse experienced and frequency of it may alter the symptoms produced. No matter what, any traumatic events experienced as a child can be held accountable for having serious repercussions. Childhood trauma leads to a variety of negative effects on women in adulthood such as, mental health issues, interpersonal difficulties, changes in perception, and an overall decline in their quality of life.
The Common Effects
To begin, it is extremely important to understand the most recognized and traditional effects of childhood trauma on women personally. Nearly all victims of childhood trauma experience the same symptoms, to an extent. These symptoms typically affect the health, both mental and physical, and functioning of the victims. Women are at an elevated risk for symptoms such as, “anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder… illicit drug use, risky sexual behavior, and attempted suicide”. Childhood trauma in all forms will absolutely have a negative effect on the overall quality of life of its female subjects. The article stated that female subjects are likely to be unemployed as well. Crucial features of overall quality of life are altered to make female survivors of childhood trauma more susceptible to psychological and psychosocial dysfunction in adulthood. Survivors “are often found to suffer more from and seek help for secondary symptoms, such as depression or interpersonal difficulties”. Interpersonal difficulties refer to the adverse effect’s childhood trauma can have on the future relationships of its victims. The extent of childhood trauma’s influence on the adult lives of female survivors continues into their relationships as well as their social lives.
Social Dilemmas
Childhood trauma expands its list of symptoms into the interpersonal relationships of its subjects. Studies have shown exposure to childhood trauma corresponds with considerable interpersonal difficulties. Female survivors tend to struggle with: “interpersonal relationships, such as intimate relationships, female friendships and difficulties with parenting”. Women with histories of childhood trauma tend to develop trust issues later in life, “distrust is considered a fundamental difficulty”. The trauma causes women to be uncomfortable with trusting others due to the fear they may get harmed or experience the same trauma again. Childhood trauma also leads women to enter into relationships in different ways than those without histories of trauma. Women with repeated and prolonged childhood trauma, “enter interactions with a primary wish to be loved and understood or, contrastingly, to oppose, hurt, and control others”. Childhood trauma can cause women to enter into relationships with unrealistic expectations and with a need to feel accepted by others. These adverse effects will not only affect the relationship but also the way victims view those around them.
Issues with View of the World
Childhood trauma on women will continue to affect their social lives by completely reconstructing their perception of others and the world. By altering the victim’s relation to others and the world, “both are likely to be deemed untrustworthy, dangerous, and unpredictable, leaving subjects feeling vulnerable, ashamed, guilty, hopeless, and worthless”. The way women with histories of childhood trauma perceive and respond to others is fundamentally altered in their adult years. The authors also wrote that, “others are perceived as rejecting, opposing, controlling, and bad. ” This viewpoint usually leaves victims feeling depressed, disappointed, and unreceptive. Women with histories of childhood trauma tend to be fearful of other’s true intentions; this can lead to emotional influences. These feelings can develop over time to have a negative effect on the victim’s mental state.
Mental State
In typically all cases of childhood trauma on women the mental state of the survivor is transformed. However, the mental state of women who have histories of childhood trauma in the form of abuse differs from those who suffered from neglect. It is found that abused children, “may be driven by an avoidance of affect and over reactive fear response, whereas neglected children may experience others’ negative mental states less frequently and may therefore be less familiar with them”. The information provided shows there is a definite significance in the type of trauma experienced as a child. Not all experiences are the same, so the symptoms of abuse and neglect will differ. However, no matter the form trauma is experienced in, female survivors can count on a noticeable difference in their mental states later in life. After all, there is a recognizable relationship between: “cumulative childhood trauma and the more severe mental health symptoms and psychosocial problems in adulthood”. Symptoms also differ between women due to the frequency of the trauma experienced and the various forms.
Frequency and Types
As discussed previously, the type of childhood trauma women experienced as children, whether it was abuse or neglect, may alter some of the symptoms shown in adulthood. Similarly, the frequency of the trauma, paired with the types experienced, will have an undisguisable effect on the severity of the problems caused. Women who have suffered through multiple traumatic events in childhood, or at a greater frequency than most, may report falling victim to more severe PTSD symptoms and worsened psychological functioning and quality of life in adulthood. Likewise, “individuals with a history of multiple types of childhood trauma may present with a more complex constellation of symptoms and psychosocial problems”. The article includes examples of symptoms that appear to be more prevalent in women who have experienced more than one type of childhood trauma such as, poorer mental and physical-health related quality of life. Those who have experienced multiple forms of childhood trauma tend to be more susceptible to PTSD and depression later in life.
End Results
The anguish of childhood trauma continues to inflict misery on its female survivors for years. It has been proven that over time childhood trauma has long-lasting effects on the health, quality of life, interpersonal relationships, functioning, mental state, and perception of its victims in ways that cause them severe levels of distress all the way through adulthood. It is also recognized that the symptoms of childhood trauma may differ due to the frequency of traumatic events and whether or not multiple forms of trauma were experienced. Many factors determine the results of children trauma and the severity of the symptoms. The effects of childhood trauma on women in adulthood may vary; however, they will always cause significant harm to the victims.
