We have discovered in the last two decades that childhood trauma is much more common than we thought and it has a strong association with the most deadly illnesses of our time.
Most common adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include child abuse (emotional, physical, or sexual), child neglect (emotional or physical), household dysfunction (domestic violence, substance abuse, mental illness or criminal activity, or parental absence), and societal adversity (extreme poverty, bullying, and community violence).
Chronic negative environmental factors can lead to sustained high level of stress hormones in the brain. Thus, traumatic toxic stress leads to changes in the young brain with subsequent behavioral, social, medical and mental coping skills that help them survive but may not be to their benefit in the long run: These coping “skills” or “trauma organized” lifestyle include substance abuse, smoking, high-risk sexuality, and overeating. Having experienced four or more ACEs increases the risk for these behaviors by 2 to 11 times.These adaptations lead to genetic changes through epigenetic modifications that allow intergenerational cycling of maladaptive behaviors.
[For more of this story, written by Resmiye Oral, go to http://www.thegazette.com/subj...experiences-20151023]
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