Can childhood Trauma Cause PTSD?

Is Childhood Trauma related to PTSD Or Mental Health Problems In Adults?

As a person who endured a stressful childhood, I can tell you the answer is yes! Traumatic experiences in childhood are absolutely related to long-term physical and mental health issues throughout adult life.

The truth is, though, there’s another major reason why psychological trauma from childhood continues in adulthood! Check out What I Want Young Adults to Know near the end of this article to find out!

But first, can childhood trauma cause PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?

According to the Mayo Clinic, childhood abuse is a risk factor for developing PTSD. Furthermore, many people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have reported that they were also exposed to traumatic events in childhood.

As a matter of fact, Complex PTSD or C-PTSD is more directly related to childhood trauma.

	PTSD	COMPLEX PTSD
Causes	Witness or experience a terrifying event	Long-term exposure to traumatic events
Possible traumatic events	Natural disaster, serious accidents, sexual assault, and more	Child abuse, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and more
Possible Symptoms	flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, plus more	Can include PTSD symptoms plus problems handling your emotions and relationships
Source	Mayo Clinic – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)	NHS – Complex PTSD – Post-traumatic stress disorder

What Is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – PTSD?

The Mayo Clinic states that PTSD is a disorder that can happen from experiencing something terrifying. However, they say that most people will recover.

Sadly, people who don’t recover in a timely manner might be diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD.)

Another key point is that PTSD can occur even from witnessing a traumatic event.

Childhood Trauma or Child Abuse

Children depend upon their primary caregivers and loved ones to take care of them and make them feel safe. When that safety is endangered through emotional abuse and/or physical abuse, kids just aren’t sure who they can trust anymore.

As is true in cases of PTSD, children can also be traumatized by watching their siblings and other loved ones being abused. Witnessing abuse of others makes them feel very disempowered and angry, among other effects and emotions.

Negative Effects of Trauma in adulthood

As humans, when we feel afraid, our body’s defense mechanisms kick in. You’ve probably heard of the fight-or-flight response or the stress response; your heart rate rises, blood rushes to your muscles, and your intuition turns on high alert.

Undoubtedly, experiencing this survival mechanism is frightening for young children. Now picture this happening over and over for years on end.

An article in the Harvard Medical School called, Understanding the Stress Response, states that the repeated activations of this system take a toll on the body. As a result, this long-term chronic stress contributes to high blood pressure, promotes the formation of artery-clogging deposits, and causes brain changes that may contribute to anxiety, depression, and addiction, among other things.

There has also been a correlation between childhood trauma and immune system disorders in adulthood.

Dr. Gabor Mate discusses the connection between how emotions are connected to the body systems in his groundbreaking book titled When the Body Says No.

Trauma and The Brain

The limbic system is part of the brain relating to emotions and survival. Have you ever noticed a time when your body reacted before you even knew what was happening? Those fast instincts can save your life. If you took the time to think first, it would probably be too late.

The oldest part of our brain that runs on instinct is sometimes called the ancient brain or the reptilian brain.

When the reptilian brain is on alert, the newer, outer part of our brain, the thinking brain (the neocortex) takes a backseat. 

It’s easy to imagine how early childhood trauma could cause long-term activation of the fight-or-flight response.

In adulthood, though, that fight-or-flight response might stay at the ready, even for non-life-threatening situations. It’s likely that simple, everyday stressors will activate that reptilian brain.

Hypervigilance

Hypervigilance is a protective mechanism that keeps kids on alert for danger. Similar to the fight-or-flight response, their nervous system stays aroused long-term to detect possible threats.

For example, when a parent’s behavior is unpredictable, the child can become hypervigilant. They can’t relax or be themselves. They might even try to morph into whatever their parent wants them to be. Surely, they’ll try to behave perfectly just to stay out of trouble. All of these behaviors are coping strategies for survival.

In the same way, this unpredictable and irrational behavior by parents can cause kids to doubt their own instincts. Therefore, they can’t trust themselves either. And, it might become difficult for them to develop their own sense of self.

It’s even more confusing for older children who are trying to form their own identities. Under these circumstances, kids can develop mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and panic attacks. They are more prone to problems with substance abuse and possibly even suicidal thoughts.

Sadly, the longer a child’s nervous system stays on high alert, the more likely they are to have physical and mental health risks.

Anyone who has endured domestic violence in the home knows that any moment can turn into a stressful event. Typically, these adverse experiences will happen over and over between the ages of 0-17. 

Unfortunately, childhood trauma (CT) and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are very common.

What are Adverse Childhood Experiences

I had never heard of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) until a few years ago. I was watching author Anne Lamott’s famous TED Talk called, 12 Truths I’ve Learned From Writing and Life on YouTube (below.)

There was something about her and what she said that spoke to me. Something so familiar. As I was researching her TED Talk online, suddenly, I noticed that I was on some type of forum called ACEs. I was confused. What are ACEs, I thought? As I read the comments, people were in agreement: “She sounds like she’s one of us,” they said.

So, what are ACEs? Well, you know by now that ACEs is an acronym for Adverse Childhood Experiences. It turns out that way back in the 90s, Kaiser Permanente Hospital and The Centers for Disease Control conducted a study together. They surveyed 17,000 Kaiser patients to see if the events of childhood trauma had a negative impact on adult health and wellness.

The ACE study found a direct link between childhood trauma and negative outcomes in adulthood. The higher the number of ACEs, the greater the incidence of negative outcomes as shown in the ACE Pyramid. 

TYPES OF ACES

According to the CDC Website, Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years). The following is a partial list. See the ACEs website for complete information.

• Experiencing or witnessing violence, abuse, or neglect
• Living in a home with substance abuse problems or mental health problems
• Parental separation by prison
• Divorce

The ACEs study has concluded that ACEs are linked to chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance use problems in adolescence and adulthood. ACEs can also have a negative impact on education and jobs and earnings. The indicators are that ACEs are preventable.

What is Complex PTSD?

Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or C-PTSD is a diagnosis relating to people that have endured long-term trauma such as child abuse or neglect and domestic violence. C-PTSD includes the symptoms of PTSD but it also includes problems with managing emotions and personal relationships.

Since childhood trauma is very common, it also makes sense that the “self-help” industry has been thriving for years! Personally, I’ve spent my entire adult life on a self-healing journey.

But lots of people don’t know why they feel and act the way they do. And many never self-treat or look for solutions to feel better. This is when you will see lots of physical ailments in aging, in my opinion.

Symptoms of complex PTSD

According to the NHS symptoms of Complex PTSD might also include:

• feelings of worthlessness, shame, and guilt
• difficulty controlling your emotions
• difficulty connecting with other people
• difficulty keeping friends and partners

Behavioral effects of C-PTSD and Child Abuse in Adults

Below are some of the issues that have affected me, personally, throughout my life. I explain connections and reasoning to give a little more insight than you will find on most medical websites.

While these issues are fairly common side effects, they aren’t easy to fix. Human relationships are complicated. We aren’t taught communication skills in school. Obviously, most of us learn from our parents and caregivers.

Many of the issues are a result of an exhausted nervous system. Healing the nervous system is a popular topic in the self-help industry now.

• Lack of Boundaries – We don’t know how to set boundaries because our boundaries were constantly crossed as children. To top it off, setting boundaries with people can feel frightening to us. But, setting boundaries is so important. If you don’t set boundaries with people, you will allow other people’s problems to permeate your life. Other people might think also that they can boss you around and tell you what to do.

Boundary rule #1:
Live your own life. Let other people solve their own problems.

Didi

• Caretaking – Many of us have watched our loved ones being abused. Because of that, we might develop a strong sense of justice and fairness. We get angry if we see people being mistreated. This can cause us to mind other people’s business. We might even try to fix other people’s problems or take them on as our own. We feel we have a responsibility to help.

• Overfunctioning or People Pleasing – We spend our entire childhood trying to please our parents so we don’t get in trouble. This can carry over to adulthood where we overcompensate to make people happy. We might not follow our own path but will follow the path of what parents or society says that we should do. We are rule followers. We might have difficulty developing our true sense of self.

Eventually, I learned that even though it feels good to help other people, it usually doesn’t turn out well for us. I know, this doesn’t seem like it would make sense. Listen to Anne Lamott’s Ted Talk (above.)

Didi

Roles & Responsibilities: We might take on and absorb all of the stress for our partners and families.

• Difficulty having fun – We’re so used to following orders and “going with the flow” that oftentimes, we don’t even know what would make us happy. We might be so disconnected from joy that we don’t know how to access it.

I married someone who knows how to have fun and enjoy life. Opposites attract!

Didi

• Too serious / Focus on Productivity – When we were children, life was hard. We were always trying to do the right thing so that we wouldn’t get in trouble. In adulthood, our self-esteem might become overly connected to our performance. We might feel that we always need to be productive. Relaxing may feel frivolous.

• Lack of Trust – We couldn’t trust our own parents so how can we trust anyone else? Need I say more?

• Depression – We might have an underlying depression that pops up regularly. Sometimes we can’t label it and we just don’t know what is wrong with us or what we need to feel better. This can make us feel alone.

• We feel like we’re different from other people – We wonder how we would be different adults if we had a better childhood or better parents (sorry!)

• Anxiety – Especially social anxiety. Consider that socializing includes other people and we don’t generally trust people or feel safe with people that aren’t in our inner circle.

• Existential Loneliness – Anyone who has gone through traumatic experiences knows how lonely this feels. As a kid, I made deals with God. In hindsight, I’m thankful that I had that option for hope.

• Heightened Sensitivity – I consider myself an HSP: Highly Sensitive Person. This term was coined by Dr. Elaine Aron in her book, The Highly Sensitive Person, to describe certain sensitive people. Even though you can be born this way, there is a higher likelihood you will be HSP if you suffered ACEs.

Keep in mind that not every child who suffered ACEs is considered sensitive. I was singled out in my family for my sensitivity. I feel confident in saying that being sensitive saved me.

• Hypervigilance – We discussed hypervigilance earlier. This is no fun! It affects every area of life and probably can be connected to perfectionism and distrust.

• Difficulty with Emotions – This can show up in a lot of different ways. Some people explode, some people get quiet, and some people spend their whole lives looking for ways to feel better (me.)

I’ve learned that it’s super important to process emotions. I recommend daily writing and guided meditations. This practice is vitally important to keep stuck emotions out of your body, where it can make you sick.

Didi

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• Frightened or hyper-alert of other people’s emotions or anger – It’s important for us to choose partners that don’t have explosive anger which would make us feel threatened and insecure.

• Overwhelm – Oftentimes the business of life gets overwhelming for us. Even with seemingly simple things like keeping up a home, paying the bills, and all that goes along with a full life. I believe this is related to the sensory system, or being sensitive. This is why I endorse minimalism and intentional living as coping strategies.
• ADHD or procrastination – A lot of us have subconscious techniques that distract us when life gets overwhelming. This can manifest in a lot of different ways for different people.

“As I’m writing this article, I’m feeling overwhelmed. My instincts have kicked in. Distraction is leading now. I’m organizing my house.”

Didi

It took me two days before I could come back to finish writing and be able to handle this subject matter again. Organizing my house is one of my coping strategies. It helps me feel in control. It also helps me distract myself from doing something more difficult. But . . . I didn’t always know that; I just knew that I liked minimalism.

Why I Love Minimalism: My Coping Strategy

All in all, I’ve integrated my personal interpretation of the emotional and relational effects of C-PTSD. You may have noticed that some of them overlap.

Undeniably, there are probably as many more signs and symptoms of C-PTSD as there are causes and effects. Needless to say, every person is different.

Luckily, there is a lot that we can do to help ourselves. 🙂

Why is Eco-Friendly Minimalist talking about childhood trauma?

I was well into the second year of writing this blog when I had a revelation about minimalism.

As new blogs go, they can help you tease out and identify your true passions. It turns out mine is actually self-healing.

What I wasn’t clear about was why. But, information and events usually come together to help me make sense of things.

Unfortunately, one of those events happened just a few years ago when childhood trauma reared its ugly head again. It had been lying dormant until the death of a family member. As trauma goes in dysfunctional families, my dysfunctional family (of origin) system once again became dangerous to my emotional health and well-being.

Then, back in early 2021, it all began to make sense. I was watching ‘The Minimalists’ second documentary. I waited patiently for its release and was so excited to write a movie review for my blog.

The Minimalists: Less Is Now’ – Documentary Review; What If You Could Change The World?

I had seen their first documentary and I knew their history, but when their second film was so incredibly steeped in the story of their childhood trauma, that’s when it hit me: minimalism is my coping strategy because of my childhood trauma.

What I want Young Adults to Know

By now you know that I have first-hand knowledge of the effects of childhood trauma on adulthood. I didn’t need to do a lot of research on that.

But, I’ve also had the benefit of having lots of years in adulthood.

Yes, there are negative effects on health and wellness. But there is a bigger problem:

Here it is . . . what I know is that in early adulthood while we are trying to individuate and discover who we are and who we want to become in the world, many of us are still living in close contact with our abusers. That is because oftentimes we don’t think of our parents as abusers.

I just want to point out that many young adults might continue to suffer in adulthood from continued interaction with their abusive parents. I would even propose that our suffering doesn’t end until our abusive parents pass away.

Clearly, our relationships with our parents are very interconnected and, besides, we LOVE our parents. It’s a confusing concoction of emotions. The person that we love the most is also the person who has done us the most harm.

Plus, consider that our other family members have also suffered abuse. That means that the dysfunctional family system continues to exist throughout our adulthood. That can mean that trauma continues to exist. Even if it exists in a different way.

Unfortunately, not everyone in the family system heals from trauma. Some will become perpetrators. This is the legacy of child abusers.

Former Nickelodeon star, Jennette McCurdy, recently wrote a fascinating book titled, “I’m Glad My Mom Died.” Besides being a best-seller and a page-turner, this acclaimed book has opened up the consciousness and conversation about childhood abuse and the confusing dynamics of the parent/child relationship. I highly recommend it.

While this was an extremely difficult article for me to write, it was also cathartic. It’s always helpful when we look at things instead of pushing them under the rug. That is truly when healing begins.

To all of those who are suffering, you have all the power to heal yourself. But, you must do your work.

Wishing you healing and a joyful, peaceful, happy life.

AUTHOR	BOOK TITLE
Bruce D. Perry	What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
Bessel van der Kolk MD	The Body Keeps The Score
Dr. Gabor Mate	When The Body Says No
Nicole LePera	How To Do The Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal From Your Past, And Create Yourself
Elaine N. Aron PhD	The Highly Sensitive Person
Jennette McCurdy	I’m Glad My Mom Died