Childhood Trauma

Introduction Childhood abuse and neglect can have an extensive impact in adulthood. Adverse childhood events (ACE) threaten an individual’s mental health. To date, numerous studies have found associations between the prevalence of childhood trauma and the reduction of anatomical structures of the brain, particularly those associated with emotion and stress processing (Ahmed-Leitao et al, 2016; Poletti et al., 2016; Souza-Quiroz et al. 2016). Prior research suggests that some mental illnesses are correlated with a reduction in brain structure volume and these abnormalities likely ultimately lead to compromised abilities in responding to stressors (Read et al., 2014). The relationship between childhood trauma and the predisposition of mental

A significant portion of the future of society is therefore predisposed to mental illness because of this association.

Many papers have cited functional brain alterations present with an increased amount of childhood trauma (Duncan et al., 2015; Wang et al., 2014). Considering there is altered structure and function of emotion and anxiety associated with areas such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate and others, the fact that individuals with significant childhood trauma can suffer greatly in adulthood is expected (Duncan et al., 2015; Gorka et al., 2014). Furthermore, the term childhood trauma also has a widely variable definition. However, some researchers have identified 5 separate components which make up ACEs. In particular, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) is a tool that was developed to separately consider each component: physical, emotional, or sexual abuse or physical or emotional neglect. These experiences of abuse and neglect were endured by an individual during their childhood and include instances like being called

CTQ scores have been correlated with other factors such as anxiety which is also a common symptom associated with many mental illnesses. Furthermore, anxiety is a common condition that affects many individuals in society. However, anxiety can reach a critical level in which it inhibits an individual greatly. More so, social anxiety conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder or social anxiety disorder can inhibit individuals from performing daily tasks (Kuo et al., 2011; Kanehisa et al., 2017). Prior research has indicated that there is a relationship between childhood trauma and anxiety such that increased CTQ scores are correlated with increased anxiety levels and symptom severity in adults (Huh et al., 2014). It has also been shown that affected individuals have earlier onset of social anxiety disorder compared to those without childhood trauma (Li et al., 2015; Huh et al., 2014). Those with social anxiety disorders often have been found to have both increased CTQ scores and anxiety scores (Kanehisa et al., 2017; Kuo et al., 2011). Those with higher levels of anxiety scores are more likely to be more anxious individuals and because research has found that anxiety symptoms are more prevalent in individuals with significant childhood trauma (Li et al., 2014). However, the literature indicates that it is not all forms of abuse or neglect that predispose an individual to anxiety