Effects of Trauma on Young Children
Young children are uniquely affected by trauma neurobiologically and socially/emotionally. Because young children's brains are extremely plastic and early childhood is a sensitive period of development, trauma impacts children in far-reaching ways, making it especially important to prevent, identify, and address trauma with a strong sense of urgency.
Neurobiological Effects
Structure and Function
Trauma can influence both the structure and function of several brain regions responsible for important cognitive and developmental tasks that are built in early childhood and heavily relied upon for everyday functioning. Trauma has been found to limit brain volume, especially in the cortex, which is responsible for cognition, language, and the ability to reason.¹ Also housed in a portion of the cortex called the prefrontal cortex is executive function, which is how we plan, focus our attention, remember directions, and multitask.² Trauma also affects the brainstem which is responsible for stress regulation, metabolism, and other basic autonomic regulatory processes. The limbic system is also affected which is largely responsible for emotions, attachment relationships, pleasure, and mood.³
Stress Regulation
Trauma can change brain circuitry and hormones that affect a child’s stress-regulation system. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) is our stress regulation system that releases a stress hormone called cortisol. When the body is overloaded with cortisol for long periods of time, as is especially common in children who experience complex or long-term trauma, the system is dysregulated, which causes problems in regulating behavioral and cognitive reactions to later stressors.⁴ Dysregulation of the HPA axis and stress hormones like cortisol decrease the child’s ability to cope with later stressors, which might cause inappropriate reactions to stress.⁵
Social/Emotional Effects
Trauma is understood to negatively impact social/emotional development in a variety of ways, often resulting in feelings of hopelessness, low self-esteem, guilt and helplessness, difficulty in coping with stress, feelings of worthlessness, and a variety of behavior problems. These feelings and behaviors can cascade through time and result in more severe behavior problems, difficulty making friends, and poor social skills.⁶ Trauma often alters the world view of young children, as trauma often results in a lack of core positive beliefs about themselves and about their world that form the basis of a worldview. When children lack self-efficacy via a negative worldview, they often fixate on self-blame, inhibiting their social/emotional growth and development and their relationships with others.⁷
Attachment Relationships
One of the most salient ways trauma affects a child's social/emotional development in early life is through disruptions in attachment relationships with caregivers. Attachment to caregivers is the basis of how children structure relationships throughout their lives. Secure attachment to caregivers is associated with many benefits, as these relationships provide stimulation, comfort, and a sense of routine and trust. A secure attachment also increases a child’s ability to regulate their own physical and emotional states. However, trauma, especially from a caregiver, disrupts this attachment, making it more difficult for the child to form secure attachments with other people throughout their lives. It also places the child at risk for delayed social and cognitive development which can affect their interactions with others, causing problems with emotion and behavior regulation. These problems also cascade across time and can increase the child’s risk of developing PTSD, depression, and hostility.⁸
⁷ Mash & Wolfe, 2017
⁸ Mash & Wolfe, 2017