Short and Long Term Effects of Trauma

The Short and Long Term Effects of Trauma

Children younger than 18 years old that grow up in a household with one of the following types of abuse or neglect can exhibit future challenges such as mental illness, school failure, aggression, substance abuse and criminal behavior:

• Recurrent physical abuse

• Recurrent emotional abuse

• Sexual abuse

• Parent/caregiver who abuses drugs or alcohol

• An incarcerated household member

• A parent/caregiver who is chronically depressed, suicidal, institutionalized or mentally ill

• A caregiver/parent treated violently

• One or no parents

• Emotional or physical neglect

When children experience trauma, it has a significant impact on their self-regulation, resulting in heightened levels of arousal, contradictory feelings, and a re-experiencing of the trauma. The following video, “Impact of Early Adversity on Children's Development”, also created by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, looks at the impact of early adversity on the brain and future child development.

Video 2: “Impact of Early Adversity on Children's Development”[10]

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