Trauma in Children: Consequences

Abstract

Recovering after trauma is always difficult, especially if the root of that trauma lies in one’s childhood–at a time of youthful innocence and rapid development. When a traumatic experience occurs early on in someone's life, it is all the more consequential–resulting in biological, physical, and mental health consequences for a person. This paper provides a comprehensive summary of the definition of childhood trauma, its effects, and the concept of resilience as a recovery method. To help us learn more about the general public's understanding of childhood trauma,  its consequences, and resilience we conducted a brief study. Specifically, we surveyed a convenience sample of 10 Taiwainese youth to assess their understanding of childhood trauma, mental health and physical consequences, and resilience. We found that young people were more aware of the mental health ramifications of childhood trauma as compared to physical or biological consequences. This trend is consistent with recent cultural changes and awareness of mental health consequences. The findings have implications for awareness building particularly about the physical consequences of trauma and strategies for promoting resilience among survivors of childhood trauma.