Traumatized Childhood to Diseased Adulthood

Keep a Child's Environment as Happy as Possible

Children who experience trauma or mental agony as a teen/child are more susceptible to heart disease later in life.

An in-depth review of numerous studies found a strong link between individuals who were abused, bullied, traumatized or exposed to violence during their childhood or teenage years and their increased risk of health conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure in early adulthood. It is these underlying conditions that increase the risk of graver diseases such as coronary artery disease, heart attack and stroke. Learn more about these diseases at www.firsteatright.com.

One-time Experience but Lasting Memory
Firstly, innocent children are exposed to situations/violence that they should never come across in their lifetime. Secondly, the experience might be once (physical/sexual abuse or violence) but the trauma and pain after experiencing these incidents are etched in their memory for a lifetime.

As parents, we would like to prevent things from taking a haphazard turn in the first place and if such things do happen, it is in our hands to prevent any health consequences that might be the side effects of such incidents. Two of every three children in India between ages 5 and 12 report of physical abuse. Alongside this there are various other factors as well, such as parental divorce, death, homelessness, discrimination, poverty, loss of a loved one or parental substance abuse that contribute towards a child’s mental agony.

While the exact cause for heart diseases due to these traumatic experiences is unknown, researchers believe that behavioral, mental health and biological reactions to increased stress levels might play a central role. More the number of such experiences, more is the health risks. Theoretically, being exposed to violence during childhood leaves room for increased cases of depression and obesity in girls and hypertension in boys.

Develop Positive Attitude
There is no harm in promoting emotional development and teaching kids to express emotions in a controlled way as this can be helpful in disease prevention and improving overall health of the person.

Children can handle stress in several ways:

1. A supportive teacher, counselor or coach can support you during your hard times in life
2. Loved ones in the family or friends can be a good option to rely upon when the child faces some trauma. Parents can teach the child in a loving, supportive and understanding way to handle emotions without blaming or denying.
3. Having control over your life
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We cannot change something that has happened. But, we can change the way in which we respond to things happening around us.