How Child Trauma Affects a Relationship Attachment

As a child, there are many situations that affect a view, memory, opinion, or attitude. Children have many of their own daily struggles to cope with, such as peer pressure. Adults sometimes forget what it is like to be a child dealing with some of the childhood pressures. Many parents do not realize how something like divorce could possibly affect their children as much as it does themselves. As the case may be, children are strongly affected by divorce.

This argument is notwithstanding that over attachment can often occur, causing insecurity to a young person. Correspondingly, poor attachments can affect the relationships that the individual has throughout their life, including with their own children. NSPCC,

These children may become psychologically unhealthy due to their emotionally instability (www.childabuse.com). Someone that was abused as a child is more likely to become an abusive parent than someone who was not (Judith 221). In this way, abuse can carry on from generation from generation. These families have unhealthy relationships. Family members frequently lack the love, caring, and friendship that everyone needs.

Some studies have looked at children’s self-reporting, where children describe feelings of guilt, shame, or worry in some situations, especially when the parental conflicts have to do with the behaviour of the children (Grych, H.J., &Fincham, D.F., &Jouriles, N.E., Renee, M). This is important data because it is the children themselves who are describe how it feels to be exposed to marital conflict. The consequences for children who are exposed to situations of high conflict may not be detected right away. The experiences children go through during childhood build “the brain and brain’s reactivity of the stress system “and the damaging effects of this may not be seen until a lot later in life says Dr. Jean Clinton. Background anger causes distress and anxiety in children.

They may associate love and pain together, because this is witnessed in their home. This could lead to psychological problems and confusion about relationships. Children who witness family violence tend to have behavioral, interpersonal, and emotional problems. Some of the behavioral problems children of family violence suffer from are aggression, withdrawal, and frustration. Children of family violence are often more violent than other children (Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing).

There are three main effects of neglect and abuse that can range from minor physical injuries, not getting along with others, or can become aggressive and affect them later on in life. One effect that a child has to go through is feeling if they belong or not. As a young child their parents are the ones they look up to. A child is supposed to feel safe in their own home, but instead some fear their lives daily. Sometimes a parent might become physically or mentally unable to take care of their child.

Adolescence is a transitional time for attachment relationships. Adolescents may struggle to manage the numerous intense emotions they experience. As a result, they may seek one or both parents (attachment figures) for comfort and support. If adolescents perceive their parents are not accessible or non-responsive to their needs for support, they are left to seek others, often friends or romantic partners, or to attempt to regulate their emotions on their own. Changes in parent-child attachment relationships may also influence young adults close relationships outside the family.

Picture a mother comforting their child when they are hurt, sad, or in need of affection. This mother is not only comforting, but developing her child’s attachment. When a child has an attachment that is considered ideal, the parent has provided that child with a secure base from which they can then feel comfortable exploring independently while knowing that they are able to return to a safe place if needed. Unfortunately not all children are able to develop this secure attachment. When a parent or caregiver is abusive physically, mentally, or emotionally, a child may experience this abuse as being frightening or even life-threatening.

Under the influence of parents who have their own issues and distress. Parents need to acknowledge, comfort and reassure; then find ways of overcoming the child’s distress as well. Parents and children seeking for help would be the best outcome. Visiting a counselor would be a way for the parent to seek help and get advice through what they are experiencing,

There are many forms of child abuse; all of which can cause both physical and mental issues to the victims. In some cases, childhood physical abuse can cause grave physical injuries and even death. Children who are physically abused are more likely to experience cognitive, emotional, and behavioral problems as they grow up, such as depression, anxiety, misbehavior, substance abuse problems, and often grow up to be abusers themselves. Many people have a hard time understanding how or why anyone would hurt a child. Many claims to love their children dearly but they seem to have less patience for them than other parents may or sometimes might take out the day to day frustrations of life on their children.