What’s the Link Between Childhood Trauma and Chronic Illness?
What is Childhood Trauma?
Childhood trauma occurs when children experience a singular traumatic event or a prolonged exposure to something negative. This type of trauma generally includes something threatening to the child or one of their loved ones. Common causes of childhood trauma include:
Accidents
Neglect
Abuse (including physical, emotional, sexual, and psychological)
Domestic violence
Severe illness
Sexual assault
Loss/grief
Household dysfunction
Natural disasters/war
Data collected has shown that roughly six out of ten children will experience some sort of adverse or traumatic event. Stress and the circumstances surrounding the trauma can heavily influence the development of certain stress responses, including fight, flight, or freeze responses. Additionally, it can also lead to the development of mental and physical problems.
The Link Between Childhood Trauma and Chronic Illness
Past studies have indicated that the more exposure a child has to trauma, the more risk factors they develop for things like heart disease, cancer, liver disease, and chronic lung disease. After a trauma, children are also at a higher risk for developing autoimmune diseases, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
Those who have experienced trauma often look to different activities to cope with their symptoms. Depending on the circumstances of the trauma, they may not even realize what is driving these habits. Unfortunately, not all coping strategies are healthy. Children who live through physical and/or psychological trauma are more likely to take on smoking, overeating, substance use, or unhealthy sexual activity.
Any of these behaviors can also contribute to the development of medical conditions. For example, smoking can lead to lung disease and cancer. Overeating can lead to obesity and digestive issues. Substance use can lead to addiction, causing liver disease. Sexual activity can lead to various sexually transmitted diseases that result in long-term issues.
Prolonged stress can further aid in the development and flare-up of chronic illnesses, making it an endless cycle between the two. As stress compounds, it can also cause changes to the immune system, hormone production, and the nervous system.
What To Do Next
Childhood trauma may seem like it happened a long time ago and, therefore, can’t be changed. While you can’t go back in time, you can change the course of your future.
Chronic illnesses can be difficult to manage, cause you pain, interfere with your day-to-day functioning, and make you feel alone in a losing battle. The good thing to note and remember is that there are options out there to help cope with your illness and any childhood trauma that may be fueling it.
Therapy sessions can help analyze your situation and provide you with healthy coping strategies to overcome some of your challenges. If you or a loved one is dealing with a chronic illness stemming from a childhood trauma, reach out to us to get you on the path to relief.