Childhood Trauma and Anxiety
Childhood trauma is an experience that can have long-lasting effects on an individual’s mental health. Trauma refers to a distressing event that exceeds a person’s ability to cope with, leaving them feeling powerless and helpless. Trauma can come in many forms, including physical, emotional, sexual abuse, abandonment, neglect, or death of the caregiver. When such traumatic experiences occur during childhood, they can have a significant impact on an individual’s development, leading to anxiety and other mental health issues later in life.
Can Childhood Trauma Cause Anxiety?
Anxiety is a common mental health issue that affects millions of people worldwide. It is manifested by excessive worry, fear, nervousness about future events, even thought there may be no immediate threat or danger. Childhood trauma is a significant risk factor for the development of anxiety disorders. According to research, children who experienced trauma are more likely to develop anxiety symptoms in adolescence and adulthood.
Several studies found that childhood trauma was associated with a greater risk of developing anxiety in adulthood, with emotional abuse and neglect having the most significant impact on anxiety symptoms. This findings suggest that childhood trauma can have a lasting impact on a person’s mental health, increasing their risk of developing anxiety disorders.
How Childhood Trauma Affects the Brain
The effects of childhood trauma on the brain may help explain why it increases the risk of anxiety. Trauma can alter the brain’s structure and function, leading to changes in the stress response system. Children who experienced trauma may develop an overactive stress response, leading to a heightened sense of anxiety and fear. Research has shown that individuals who experienced childhood trauma have a higher risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other anxiety disorders. Changes to the brain caused by trauma can lead to varying degrees of emotional dysregulation and cognitive impairment that can result in difficulties with attention, sleep disturbances, low self-esteem and impaired social skills.
Childhood Trauma and Risk of Social Anxiety
Childhood trauma can also affect a person’s ability to form healthy relationships, leading to social anxiety. Those who experienced trauma may have difficulties with trusting others and forming close relationships, leading to social isolation and fear of rejection. Childhood trauma can increase the risk of social anxiety in adulthood.
Treatment Options for Anxiety Related to Childhood Trauma
Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF - CBT) has been found to be effective in treating anxiety disorders related to childhood trauma. CBT helps individuals identify and challenge negative thoughts and beliefs that may contribute to anxiety. It helps developing alternative, healthy coping skills to manage symptoms of anxiety by addressing distorted beliefs related to the trauma.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) has been found to be an effective treatment for PTSD. It helps access memories of trauma and combined with guided instructions and eye movements allows a person to reprocess what they remember from the traumatic event. The reprocessing helps to heal the mental injury from that memory.
References:
Kessler, R. C., Davis, C. G., & Kendler, K. S. (1997). Childhood adversity and adult psychiatric disorder in the US National Comorbidity Survey. Psychological Medicine, 27(5), 1101–1119.