Childhood Trauma Statistics
In one significant research study in the southern United States, it was discovered that young children exposed to violence or who were personally abused in the first three years of their childhood were more than 75 percent likely to suffer from one or more delays in language development, brain development or other emotional growth.
As they were exposed to more traumatic events, researchers discovered that the children were exponentially more likely to become at risk for depression, drug abuse, alcoholism, suicide, pregnancy problems, heart and liver diseases, uncontrollable anger, high stress, and a host of other family, job and financial problems.
The traumatized were four times more likely to become alcoholic, 15 times more likely to attempt suicide, three times more likely to be absent from work, three times more likely to have serious job problems, twice as likely to have obstructive pulmonary disease and twice as likely to have financial problems.
Paths to Better Behavior
In short, childhood trauma makes a mess out of lives, and as such, is a major public health problem in the United States. Whether through sexual or physical abuse or simple neglect, the impact on a person's life is established, and it’s not merely psychological. Evidence has shown that exposure to trauma can compromise neural function and the actual structure of the brain, which later makes them more likely to develop a host of social and physical problems like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.