Childhood Trauma (Even in Infancy) Can Impact Mental Health for Lifetime

A baby cries in the night, hungry and wet, but his mother is too depressed or emotionally paralyzed to tend to his needs.

A small girl watches in shock and despair as the coffin containing her father is carried away by strangers. Her mother grasps her hand tighter, but she too is overwhelmed and ill-prepared for the grief.

A brother and a sister, exposed to the daily ravages of abusive parents, are taken away from the only home they know by protective services and sent to live in separate foster homes.

Whether it is the attachment trauma and loss, or early exposure to neglect and abuse, childhood trauma can impact adult mental health in a myriad of ways, leading to depression, self-harm, addiction and other conditions.

Childhood adversity can have lasting implications, and not just for individuals. Recent research suggests trauma may be “transmitted” from one generation to the next.

One study looked at former indentured Swiss child laborers, also known as “Verdingkinder,” and their adult offspring as compared to control groups of parents and adult children from a less traumatic background. The offspring of those who suffered through early life adversity reported more incidents of abuse, punitive parenting and family relationships that lacked warmth. The former child laborers also reported adverse conditions in their own upbringing.

Trauma Changes the Brain and Physical Being

Though some transgenerational trauma can be traced to specific adversities ― such as the Verdingkinder and their children or families impacted by slavery, the trail of tears or the Holocaust—one of most challenging aspects of healing trauma is that many people trapped in its grip as adults do not realize they carry it within.

They are not always aware of how it runs like a current through their lives and how, when left untreated, it can define their lives and cause dysregulated emotions.

There is growing research that tells us that children who have experienced trauma have different brain wiring than those who were raised in a more secure and stable environment. The memory of trauma also lodges in the body, and can set off a physical response. When that happens, the mind and body literally do not know the difference between the current moment in adulthood and the trauma that occurred in childhood. Traumatic memories can come flooding back and cause dissociation and a disconnection from the present moment. This also can lead to self-soothing through the use of drugs, alcohol or activities that quell the painful memories.

Consequences Later in Life

The earliest traumas can linger for years and can severely impact adult life. Trauma of all kinds has been identified as the cause of increased vulnerability to addiction, mood disorders and mental illness. Here are some of the most common.

1. Depression. There can be many causes for depression but childhood instability in family and home life has been shown as a culprit, as well as adverse life events. Evidence points to early trauma as a cause of depression in later life. A recent study showed that childhood neglect and abuse lasts through the years and can make women in midlife more vulnerable to depression.
2. Self-harm. Empirical studies show that people who experience sexual abuse or physical abuse typically experience more self-harm than the general population. Suicidality ideation and suicide attempts have also been demonstrated. Researchers have also found high levels of dissociation and continued self-harming behaviors.
3. Dissociative disorders. Research shows it is common for people with childhood trauma to experience dissociation. A person may go through a “state” that takes them out of the current moment and causes them to lose touch with their own thoughts, memories, feelings or actions. They may lose their sense of themselves and their own identify. It can happen in a flash, which is a common experience with PTSD where someone loses all connection to the moment or reality and fly into a rage or take an action they do not recall. It can also manifest as dissociative identity disorder or amnesia.
4. Eating disorders. Current research shows a strong tie between eating disorders and childhood abuse. Food in some cases may be used as a form of self-soothing with temporary pleasure. Other disorders such as bulimia and anorexia may seem like polar opposites but can stem for the same kinds of early traumas. One study indicated that eating disorders can be caused by a lack of support after trauma such as sexual abuse, physical abuses and bereavement.
5. Suicidality and ideation. A recent report showed a stunning increase in the number of children and adolescents admitted to hospitals for self-harm and suicidal thoughts. In fact, admission doubled among those aged 5 to 17 in the course of a decade. The report indicated that more than half of the children who presented with these issues were between 12 and 14 years old. While there was no data on the exact cause, the early manifestation of these behaviors can be related to unaddressed trauma. A separate study linked suicidal ideation with parental divorce and showed adult men with mood and anxiety disorders were the most affected.
6. Substance abuse. Research shows that people who misuse substances have often suffered mistreatment and physical abuse as children. Use of illegal substances might begin as an attempt to mask the resulting mental health issues. A recent study of opioid users pointed to PTSD and emotional abuse as contributing factors to high-risk behaviors and substance-related problems.
7. Borderline personality disorder (BPD). BPD has been linked to early trauma that may include violence and sexual abuse, as well as a family history of psychiatric disorders, difficult parental relationships and early separation. Studied through the lens of disorganized attachment, BPD may be rooted in early experience with caregivers who provided security on one level but posed a threat on another.

Alcoholism and Addiction as an Attachment Disorder

Traumatic events have long been viewed as a risk factor for many addictions. In our current society, people begin using drugs and alcohol at earlier ages, which can set them up for a lifetime of struggle.

Addiction and alcoholism as an attachment disorder can be interpreted as early attachments to primary caregivers that have gone awry and have manifested as dependence — whether physical or psychological. Substances are used in an attempt to regulate emotions by substituting human connections with chemical solutions.

Addiction, in effect, is an attempt at self-repair that fails. Looking back into this earlier trauma may be a way to heal the addictive behavior that it led to in adult life.

David Sack, MD, is board certified in psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and addiction medicine. As CMO of Elements Behavioral Health, Dr. Sack oversees a network of addiction and mental health treatment centers that include Promises Malibu Vista mental health retreat for women and The Right Step rehabs in Texas.