Negative and traumatic childhood experiences
Abuse or neglect in childhood can lead to emotional health problems later in life. Growing up in a dysfunctional household can also lead to the same problems. These are Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs.
ACEs are traumatic experiences that occur before age 18 but last into adulthood. They can cause permanent mental and physical problems. The 1998 ACE study focuses mainly on the family situation and was conducted among 17,500 middle-aged people. Of course there are still a number of negative experiences to think of, such as the loss of a parent or poverty. Negative experiences can of course also have happened outside the family, such as bullying or racism.
The negative experiences are grouped into the following 10 categories:
1. Physical abuse
Physical abuse is a non-accidental injury. It involves injuries such as bruises, lesions or fractures. Adults cause these injuries by hitting, punching, kicking, shaking, beating, burning, throwing, or stabbing.
2. Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse is sexual conduct with a child or sexual exploitation of a child. This abuse also includes indecent exposure and using a child in prostitution or pornography.
3. Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse is behavior that interferes with a child's mental health. This type of abuse includes verbal abuse, mental abuse, and psychological abuse. Emotional abuse can be anything, including frequent:
4. Physical neglect
In the case of physical neglect, the basic needs of the child are not met. This neglect includes failure to provide food, clothing, shelter, or medical care. It also includes a lack of supervision.
5. Emotional neglect
Emotional neglect occurs when a child's emotional needs are not met. Emotional neglect includes not providing social support or withholding mental health treatment. This also applies when a child's needs are ignored. An example would be if a baby is crying and no one is taking care of the child.
6. Psychological problems
Living with a family member with mental health problems can have a major impact on a child. Depending on their condition, a parent may not be able to adequately care for the child. They also cannot model the right behavior for the child.
7. Detained Family Member
Children with a parent who is imprisoned can mainly grow up in a single-parent family. Having an incarcerated parent is a challenge for the home parent and the child. The child may also have trauma or feelings of abandonment. The absent parent may also have modeled inappropriate behavior before jail time.
8. Physical violence towards (step) parent
Any domestic violence is traumatic. Witnessing violence against the primary caregiver affects a child. A child bonds with the primary caregiver, which is generally stronger than with other family members. Watching the (step)parent get hurt, especially by another loved one, is traumatic.
9. Substance Use
Substance use at home can lead to all kinds of unsafe situations for the child. Parents cannot take good care of the child. Other abuse and domestic violence may also be associated with substance use.
10. Divorce
Divorce can have a negative effect on children. Some divorcing parents expose children to verbal or physical fights. They may also ignore the child while working on their relationship issues. Some children feel that they are responsible for the divorce. Custody battles can leave the child feeling unloved or pulled in different directions. In addition, the child may learn unhealthy communication and coping skills.
The 10 ACEs can affect health in adulthood, creating physical and emotional challenges.
Sometimes stress can be toxic, resulting in a long-term activation of the body's stress response. Staying in this fight-or-flight mode can lead to long-term physical and mental health problems.
Toxic stress can lead to problems regulating emotions, including experiencing joy. It can also make a person unable to understand how to react to situations. There is also an increased risk of using substances including alcohol, drugs and nicotine.
Implications
There are many consequences of ACEs for adults. In addition to an increased risk of mental and physical problems, there are some other effects that are common.
Lose authenticity
Stop being who you think you should be. To try to get the love of, say, the parent, a person can change his personality. You have learned to behave differently, to conform to a certain image. You have come to live more by the expectations of others than by yourself. To become your authentic "self" as an adult, you need to get in touch with your true feelings.
Victim
A victimized child may feel that they have no choice but to be a victim in adult life. That is not true. You have a choice in who you are as an adult. So instead, consider yourself a survivor and use positive self-reflection to combat negative thinking.
Passive-aggressive
Growing up in an environment where you felt you were never allowed to express anger. Anger is a healthy emotion. If you can't figure it out, you stay angry. You need to acknowledge anger so you can resolve the trigger. If you don't acknowledge anger, you will express these feelings as frustration.
Passivity
Neglected or abandoned children tend to hold back. As a result, they become passive, unable to live up to their potential.
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