The Effects Of Childhood Trauma On Brain Development

Early life experiences, positive and negative, have a profound effect on brain development. Neurobiological changes that occur due to problems experienced during childhood can lead to lifelong complications. These complications, as a result of the early childhood trauma and maltreatment, are most predominately found in the interpersonal and intrapersonal functioning difficulties that emerge later in life. The problems that are easiest to identify from an outside perspective are the difficulties forming and maintaining long lasting interpersonal relationships. These relationships include but are not limited to romantic, platonic, and familial relationships. “Survivors [of child abuse] often find it difficult to trust others” (‘The Ways Childhood Trauma and Abuse Can Affect Survivors’). As trust is noted to be a vital component to a healthy relationship of any kind, one can infer that a lack thereof can lead to complications in maintaining romantic relationships. A lack of self-esteem is
This can lead to complications in platonic relationships as survivors may find it difficult to put themselves in a situation that could result in rejection. Many adults that suffered abuse as children end up being child abusers themselves. “It is true that abused children are more likely to repeat the cycle as adults” (Smith). This can greatly affect the familial relationship, as the victim has become the abuser and unconsciously prolonged the cycle of abuse. These interpersonal problems are likely due to intrapersonal problems that stem from the childhood abuse and maltreatment. The intrapersonal effects are the most devastating to the human psyche. These effects include a variety of psychological conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, and a number of personality disorders including, but not limited to, dissociative identity disorder, paranoid personality disorder, and antisocial personality disorder. “PTSD