Multi-Staged Trauma

Long-term psychological and physiological repercussions of childhood maltreatment are common among survivors. Depression, sexual dysfunction, dissociation, rage, suicidality, self-harm, and drug use disorders are all much more common among those with histories of abuse, as is depression overall, compared to the general population (Briere & Jordan, 2004). Abuse in childhood may have serious consequences for a person's physical health as well. A person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease, cancer, or a stroke increases in direct proportion to the number of negative events they had as a youngster, according to recent studies (Van der Kolk, 2005).

When abuse or neglect occurs over a long period of time, when it starts in infancy, and when the offender is someone the victim should be able to trust, the traumatic consequences are severe. The things a youngster sees, hears, tastes, and touches as

Complex trauma: a developmental perspective on chapter 1 11 have a significant influence in shaping his or her future actions, beliefs, social connections, and sense of identity, even if they are not recalled consciously. Childhood trauma may have lasting effects on a child's cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development.

It's hardly surprising that mistreated children have difficulty bonding and developing close relationships as adults. Cognitive impairment, attention difficulties, and somatic (bodily) problems like chronic pain are common among those with a disease of emotional and impulsive regulation.

Victims of childhood abuse and neglect often grow up to struggle with a wide range of issues. To individuals who are unfamiliar with the ways in which abuse and trauma may diminish a person's abilities and thus restrict their life options, these challenges may seem insurmountable. When people are unfamiliar with the long-term repercussions of abuse and trauma, both support providers and survivors may incorrectly attribute the challenges faced by survivors to their own actions.