Child abuse and the indelible traces on emotional life

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Abusing a child is ripping innocence from his soul and destroying his future, because he will carry in his suitcase the consequences of the abuse printed in fiery ink on his brain. As Mirko Badiale said: “a sign should be placed on every child that says: treat with care, it contains dreams.”

Children and adolescents are a population prone to suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, especially if they have been exposed to highly stressful or traumatic events. Currently, it is estimated that three quarters of the child population has experienced events that could cause PTSD, such as child abuse. Of these exposed children, only one-third develop PTSD. What happens to abused children?

It’s known that Child abuse can alter the neurodevelopment process and modify the way the child’s brain matures. This can produce cognitive deficits that can persist into adult life and are characterized by problems in attention, memory, language, or intellectual development.

Child abuse

Child abuse is defined as any act that violates the rights of the child.. Among the different types of abuse, César Carvajal distinguishes:

sexual abuse It is any type of sexual activity with a minor in which the aggressor is placed in a position of power and the minor is immersed in acts that are beyond his or her understanding and will.physical abuse It is defined as any intentional action by an adult that causes physical harm, injury or illness to the child.emotional abuse It is frequently done through insults, permanent criticism, ridicule, rejection, threats or constant blocking of children’s initiatives.Abuse due to abandonment or neglect It refers to situations in which parents or primary caregivers, having the duty to do so, avoid providing the care and protection that children need for their correct development.

“Child abuse has long-term consequences, in terms of increased psychopathology in adulthood: depression, anxiety disorders, severe personality disorders, substance abuse, eating disorders, somatization and PTSD.”

-Carvajal-

Child abuse can affect the neurodevelopment process of children.

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The effects of abuse on children

Let’s review some insights into the neuropsychology of the abused child. Abuse at an early age can cause psychological and neurological consequences with no return. This occurs because childhood is the period in which the brain develops the most. However, it is also true that its development continues to occur during adolescence and even into adulthood.

“Broadly speaking, child abuse causes, among other effects, high mortality and morbidity, since it is estimated that more than 10% of cases of children suffering from mental retardation or cerebral palsy are due to abuse.”

-Table-Gresa-

In situations of abuse, the mechanisms of the stress response are activated and, consequently, produce adverse brain changes, among which have been identified (Mesa-Gresa, 2011):

Accelerated loss of neurons.Delays in myelination. Myelin is a substance that covers certain neurons and that, among other factors, favors the conduction of nerve impulses.Abnormalities in the development of neuronal pruningthat is, in the processes of creation and destruction natural of neurons.Inhibition of neurogenesis, that is, inhibition of the birth of new neurons.

As a result of the above, alterations in brain functions occur, mainly in the areas of the brain related to the regulation of executive functions.

“Therefore, maltreatment, abuse and abandonment during childhood can be considered agents that interrupt normal brain development and that, depending on the age of onset and the duration of the abuse, can even produce considerable changes in some brain areas.”

-Table-Gresa-

Hippocampus

The hippocampus is related to long-term memory and declarative memory, that is, with the memory of the events that happen to us. Stress in early childhood can alter the structure of the hippocampus. The hypothesis is that high levels of stress in childhood could reduce its volume.

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Reduced hippocampal volume has been associated with symptoms of depression and dissociative thoughts. This reduction of the hippocampus also appears in borderline personality disorder associated with early trauma and negatively correlates with the onset and duration of childhood trauma.

“The functional manifestations of changes in the hippocampus in abused subjects are related to the amnesic, dissociative, anxious and disinhibitory symptoms characteristic of PTSD.”

-Table-Gresa-

Abuse can cause psychological and neurological consequences with no return in children.

Amygdala

The amygdala is responsible for processing and storing emotional reactions essential for survival. Currently, it is known that early stress induces alterations in this structure. Specifically, stress increases dopamine levels and attenuates serotonin levels in this structure.

Although there are controversies about whether changes in the amygdala occur as a consequence of child abuse, there are studies that have found, although weakly, a change in the total volume of said structure in children with PTSD, compared to non-maltreated children.

“In abused and abandoned children, chronic activation of the amygdala could impair the development of the prefrontal cortex, which could lead to alterations in the acquisition of age-dependent behaviors and emotions, including impulse control.”

-Table-Gresa-

Damage has also been detected in other structures, such as the cerebellar vermis. Alterations in this structure have been related to some clinical entities such as schizophrenia, autism, ADHD or bipolar disorder.

As we can observe, The effects of child abuse are multiple. and directly and indirectly affect the normative evolution of certain brain structures. Therefore, it becomes a major problem that must be prevented.

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