Impact of trauma on children and adults
Trauma may be defined as "an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual's mental, physical, social, emotional or spiritual wellbeing".
Many types of experience can lead to psychological trauma, including but not limited to: accidents, interpersonal violence, surgery and serious physical illness, chronic or repetitive experiences such as child abuse and neglect, enduring deprivation, war or living in a war zone, and military combat.
Children are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of trauma and abuse, with many children having experienced four or more adverse childhood experiences (commonly referred to as ACEs).
Experiencing trauma can have a wide range of adverse outcomes, including poorer mental health, physical health, economic and social outcomes and religious/spiritual impacts which can be long term.
Childhood trauma has lasting impacts:
- Opportunities (education, employment, income)
- Mental health (depression, anxiety, suicide and PTSD)
- Risky behaviours (alcohol and drug abuse, unsafe sex, offending)
- Maternal health (unintended pregnancy, pregnancy complications)
- Chronic disease (cancer, diabetes)
- Injury (traumatic brain injury, fractures, burns)
- Infectious diseases (HIV, STDs etc.)
NHS Education for Scotland has developed a National Trauma Training Programme to help the whole Scottish workforce understand the role they have to play in understanding and responding to children, young people and adults affected by psychological trauma.