ADULT SURVIVORS: UNDERSTANDING THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES

Experiencing abuse and neglect in childhood can lead to adverse outcomes in adulthood.

Adult survivors of untreated child abuse often suffer a range of long-term detrimental effects that adversely affect their functioning in numerous areas of their lives. Unfortunately, the enduring impact of chronic abuse in childhood is not well understood. This book is focused on increasing understanding of the long-term effects of traumatic childhood experiences from both psychological and physiological perspectives. Additionally, this book explores whether pathology frequently seen in adult survivors is a direct or secondary effect of their abuse. Along with scientific and theoretical text-based data, solicited written narratives by an adult survivor of childhood physical, sexual, and psychological abuse are analyzed utilizing hermeneutic methodology with elements of grounded theory to discover relevant connections between the fields of neuroscience, memory research, attachment theory, and trauma research. The relevance of findings of the diagnosis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is discussed, and the implications for clinical practice are explored.