Sorting Out the Long-Term Impact of Different Forms of Childhood Maltreatment
…A study analyzing data on 5,616 youth from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network core data set found that childhood emotional neglect and emotional abuse leads to as many, and sometimes even more, mental health issues as physical or sexual abuse alone. Emotional abuse in this study was defined as: bullying, coercive control, severe insults, putting down, threats, overwhelming demands, shunning/shaming and or isolation. Certain conditions such as clinical levels of depression, anxiety, social anxiety and substance abuse were associated even more with psychological abuse and neglect than the other forms of abuse. Neglect and psychological abuse – insidious, less conspicuous and often not identified as maltreatment – have pervasive harmful long-term effects.
Children who experience maltreatment are at risk for poor mental and physical health as well as increased aging at the cellular level and early death. In addition, being a victim of violence growing up is correlated with being victimized later on (domestic violence, date rape).
Intergenerational Transmission of Violence
Committing one type of violence e.g. bullying increases the likelihood of committing other types of violence. Exposure to violence is correlated with engaging in other violence, perpetuating the generational transmission of abuse.
The Psychology of How We React to Witnessing Violence
Dr. Margolies’ Commentary:
We know that trauma can impact mental and physical health, even damaging DNA, but it’s also true that psychotherapy can heal that damage. This finding supports other research on the positive effect of psychotherapy in changing the brain and the positive ways the mind can impact biology.
References:
- American Psychological Association. (2014, October). Childhood psychological abuse as harmful as sexual or physical abuse. http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2014/10/psychological-abuse.aspx
- Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2016). From best practices to breakthrough impacts: A science-based approach to building a more promising future for young children and families. Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. https://developingchild.harvard.edu
- Kazdin, A. & Musser, J. (2013, October). Bullying: fascinating features and intervention. Yale Presidential Inauguration Symposia. Lecture conducted from Yale University, New Haven, CT.
