3. Discussion
Based on the gathered research covering various aspects of life influenced by childhood trauma exposure, it is clear individuals who have experienced childhood trauma are cognitively impacted for the duration of their life. It does not go to say these individuals cannot learn how to manage any cognitive limitations or psychological disorders, but the research does clearly demonstrate the strong association with childhood trauma exposure. The gathered research can be grouped into four major themes: cognitive function, self-reflection, prevalence and severity of psychological disorders, and recurrence of victimization.
The research regarding cognitive function demonstrates an important cognitive function is altered or impacted by childhood trauma exposure and that is memory. The way in which the brain chooses to store experiences, emotions, and information is different for many of the individuals in adolescence and adulthood who experience childhood trauma by either making it difficult to retrieve the memories or by completely altering the memory itself. This may be a coping mechanism or a way to prevent the individual from re-experiencing the trauma. There is also research providing information on how self-reflection and esteem is impacted by childhood trauma exposure. The research presents the idea that many of those who experienced childhood trauma have lower self-esteems and a poorer model-of-self, meaning the trauma experienced influenced them enough to begin believing in the verbal and physical abuse endured as having occurred for a reason. Through this research, it can be suggested that these individuals are less likely to take care of themselves mentally, emotionally, physically, and in many other forms, which could contribute to the increased risk of developing a psychological disorder in adolescence and adulthood.
What is of particular interest is the research is beginning to make connections between types of psychological disorders and types of childhood trauma. Multiple articles have presented a high rate of individuals being treated for bipolar disorder are known to have experienced childhood trauma. Often times these individuals had more severe cases of bipolar disorder and it took longer for these individuals to demonstrate progress. While there are some mixed research findings regarding prevalence rates of psychological disorders among individuals with childhood trauma exposure, the research does demonstrate the severity of symptoms is higher for this demographic. Research gathered regarding recurrence of childhood trauma demonstrate a strong indication that individuals who experienced childhood trauma are not only more likely to experience another form of trauma in adulthood but are also more likely to have children who will experience childhood trauma. Typical characteristics within a family are difficult to break from, especially when all four themes presented in the results section are interrelated. All four themes influence and feed from one another, making it difficult for the impacted individuals to re-establish themselves and truly recover from the traumatic experience.
Childhood trauma exposure influences various aspects of an individual’s life over the course of several life stages, but has not been thoroughly researched. Cognitive function decreases in individuals with childhood trauma exposure and are more likely to return to a non-existent world throughout adulthood. Psychological disorders are a strong possibility due to the changes and variations in cognitive development and function. On top of being at a higher risk for developing psychological disorders, there is also a likelihood of experiencing more severe symptoms if a psychological disorder develops. Childhood trauma exposure does not end with childhood, it continues to influence the relationships established in adulthood with friends and family. Without getting the appropriate assistance, there is a high chance that impacted individuals will have children that will experience similar trauma in their young age. The impacts of childhood trauma are beginning to become clearer but more research is required if properly understand how these individuals are impacted as well as how to assist them is to be discovered.
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