Over the last few decades, research has expanded beyond child development and now includes adult development. This expanded research scope has led to a variety of questions regarding physiological, psychological, and behavioural changes that occur at this stage in life. Researchers are curious to know the effects of childhood trauma on adults in late adulthood. Early experiences of children are the basis for their future health and well-being.
It is essential that these young people have a strong, secure relationship with their parents, receive emotional support, adequate nutrition and housing, as well as a safe, nurturing environment to grow and develop. For many youngsters, however, the childhood they had was not ideal. They may have been affected by trauma, neglect, and abuse. Researchers have conducted a number of studies to try and understand what impact it has on children who are older. The younger generation is a group that pays a lot of attention to this topic. Researchers want to know if the unpleasant incidents they experienced have any lasting psychological effects on them as they get older. In the research, it was shown that several elderly people experience suicidal and depression thoughts. In order to understand if these traumas could cause psychiatric conditions, researchers will analyze the factors. For researchers to better understand the impact of these experiences they have carried out studies that combine longitudinal and trans-sectional studies. The article “Adverse Experiences in Childhood and Geriatric Disorders: Results from BRFSS 2010,” contributes effectively to furthering the understanding of the topic. The study explores the impact of adverse childhood experiences on the specific diagnoses of geriatric disorders. Geriatric disorder leads to reduced motivation as well as a decreased quality of their life. Depression symptoms are sometimes mistakenly attributed to the aging process, despite being classified as negative aging. Researchers believed that abusers of children, whether it was emotional, physical or sexual, were more likely than others to suffer from depression. They predicted that exposure to such traumas multiple times would lead to depression.
The authors tested their hypothesis by conducting a cross sectional study using data from the Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System. Participants included 8,051 people over 60 years old, randomly selected from the states of Nevada, Vermont Hawaii and Wisconsin. Telephone surveys were used in the study. These surveys asked informants about childhood abuse, adverse childhood events (ACEs), as well as a depression screen. Participants were divided in two groups according to their responses on the depression questionnaire. Data from the two groups was compared in the age intervals of 60-64 years, 65-69 years, 70-74 and 75-79. The results of the age groups were compared and it was discovered that as the age group increased, the number diagnosed with depression also decreased.
Researchers found that a correlation existed between geriatric depressive disorders and horrific childhood experiences in general. Researchers were able to determine that geriatric depressive disorders are more prevalent in individuals who have experienced physical or sexual abuse. Rapsey Scott Patterson (2018) also conducted a similar study to help understand the long-lasting effects of these occurrences on the elderly. This article attempts an analysis of the impact that childhood terrorizing events have on older generations. The disorders under study are depression, post-traumatic anxiety disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder. The most prevalent events were maltreatments, neglects, sexual and physical abuses, and violence in families. Researchers carried out a study with 2,220 female participants in order to better analyze the situation.
The sample size included those who said they had experienced abuse as a child and those who did not. Researchers selected those who reported having experienced adverse childhood experiences, and then randomly selected those who did not. The study consisted of interviews with participants six years, 25 years, and at the start. The researchers concluded that the age-related incidence of anxiety, PTSD and depressive disorders was much lower than the average. The data collected from both groups revealed that the individuals who had experienced trauma as children were more likely to have internalizing disorders. The participants were grouped according to the type of trauma they experienced. Those who had suffered from sexual abuse, poly-victimization or other forms of trauma, showed a higher rate of internalizing disorders.
The longitudinal study shows that such horrific events can have a lasting impact on individuals, even as they grow older. When comparing both articles, it’s clear that they have similar conclusions based on their research topics. Both articles demonstrate how childhood experiences can affect an individual’s overall health. Researchers found that the past experiences of a large percentage of people, regardless of their age, led to depression. The study clarified not only the correlation between these two factors, but also that depression is one of the most common psychological disorders. Researchers also found that results from a second study supported their first study.
Unlike in the first study these studies examined how traumatic incidents can cause not just depression, but internalizing disorders as well such anxiety and PTSD. Neither study focused on a specific trauma type, but rather the impact it has. These events can include physical abuse or sexual abuse. They also can cause anxiety or PTSD. In comparing these events, it is clear that those with multiple or sexual abuse experiences have more of a tendency to be affected by them. Both studies support the same conclusion but there are limitations to both that can impact accuracy and reliability. The first study used a method that allows participants to recall their past experiences with bias. This can affect the accuracy. The data from the second survey may also be affected by this. The second study was also affected by the high rate of attrition, as only 39% were interviewed 25 year later. Social support and other therapeutic interventions may help to reduce the incidence of internalizing disorders. It is obvious that traumatic childhood experiences have a lasting impact on older people.