Childhood Trauma May Lead to Adult Illness

 

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

Can abuse, violence and neglect during childhood affect a person's physical and mental health later in life?

United States health officials say the answer to that question is "yes."

Researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that childhood trauma¹ can lead to many conditions and illnesses in adulthood².

Traumatic experiences can also lead to a lower quality of life.

Researchers found that such events can lead to fewer educational and employment opportunities in the future.

The director of the CDC is Robert Redfield. In a statement, he writes "we now know that adverse³ childhood experiences" greatly affect "an individual's future health."

CDC researchers have been involved in other studies on this subject. However, this new report is the agency's first on the effects of this problem nationally.

For the new study, researchers looked at 144,000 people from 25 states. They asked these men and women about their health problems and lifestyle choices. The subjects also were asked about childhood memories and if they had experienced or witnessed traumatic events.

What is a traumatic childhood event?

The CDC defines childhood traumas⁴ as harmful events that someone experiences from birth to age 17. Such events can include:

experiencing physical, verbal and/or sexual abuse

experiencing severe neglect

witnessing violence in the home

having an unstable⁵ home life because of drug abuse, mental illness or having family members in prison

Key findings

The CDC statement describes the major findings of the study. It found that adults with the highest levels of childhood trauma had an increased chance of:

suffering long-term health problems such as heart disease, some forms of cancer, depression and diabetes⁶

smoking and heavy drinking

being overweight or obese⁷

having problems getting a good education and employment opportunities.

Researchers say it is unclear if some traumatic experiences are more harmful to a person's future than others. Also, health officials admit that the study does not prove that childhood trauma directly leads to future health disorders⁸.

However, many researchers say there is a well-established link between childhood trauma and health problems later in life. And they are working to develop ways to reduce the effects of traumatic childhood events.

Doctor Dayna Long is with the University of California, San Francisco's Benioff Children's Hospital. She calls trauma "a public health crisis that everybody needs to start addressing."

When asked about the CDC's new report on childhood trauma, she calls it "critical." The report, she says, gives important information about the usefulness of preventive measures.

Leading the CDC's violence prevention program is Jim Mercy. He says this has become clear: The more harmful incidents a child suffers, the more likely their health suffers later. He adds that "there's a lot of evidence connecting" childhood trauma and illness in adults.

Ways to lessen⁹ the negative effects

CDC researchers are working to better understand and prevent childhood trauma. They also say they are studying ways to lessen its negative effects. CDC officials say all parts of society can help.

Government, church and other community leaders can create effective social and economic programs for at-risk families. Schools can help to lessen the effects of childhood trauma and prevent trauma. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers can recognize at-risk children as well as signs of childhood trauma in adult patients. Employers can support family-friendly policies, such as paid days off for family emergencies.

Prevention is one part of the fix. Another part is intervention¹⁰.

A positive role model in a child's life can have a great healing effect. Role models might be family members, friends, neighbors, teachers, religious leaders or others in the community.

Showing care and concern for a traumatized child can possibly put that child on the road to a healthier future.

Words in This Story

neglect – n. to fail to take care of or to give attention to (someone or something)

trauma – n. a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time

unstable – adj. not emotionally or mentally healthy

opportunity – n. a good chance for advancement¹¹ or progress

adverse – adj. bad or unfavorable : not good

negative – adj. harmful or bad : not wanted

positive – adj. good or useful

1 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

2 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。

3 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

4 traumas   

n.心灵创伤( trauma的名词复数 )；损伤；痛苦经历；挫折

参考例句：

• She felt exhausted after the traumas of recent weeks. 她经受了最近几个星期的痛苦之后感到精疲力竭。
• Conclusion: Safety lens of spectacles can protect the occurrence of ocular traumas. 结论：安全镜片可以预防眼镜碎片所致的眼外伤。 来自互联网

5 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

6 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

7 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

8 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

10 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

11 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。