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Women at more risk of 20 major diseases due to childhood trauma, shows study
An unhealthy upbringing can be detrimental to a child’s well-being. A new study sheds light on its effects that extend into later years of life.
Children who grow up in toxic households or suffer trauma at an early age can develop several mental health issues as adults. This is why people with an absent parent or neglected by their fathers are more likely to have “daddy issues”, which causes them to struggle with interpersonal issues.
Impact of childhood trauma on individual’s health
Whether you are male or female, your chances of facing health issues in the later stages of life are higher if exposed to neglect, abuse, or ill-treatment in childhood.
Although previous research has well established the link between childhood trauma and biological health, the recent study led by UCLA Health found that the person’s gender also matters in determining the degree of damage.
Data from 2,100 participants was analyzed to understand the severity of adverse childhood experiences in adults. The trauma could stem from “financial distress, abuse, neglect, how often they moved, whether they lived away from their biological parents and whether they had been on welfare.”
It was found that childhood stressors were related to “20 major health conditions” in addition to other mental and physical issues.
Women at increased risk of diseases than men
The childhood stresses were classified as High Stress, Moderate Stress, and Low Stress, which are directly linked to health issues.
While both men and women with high-stress classes exhibited “poorest metabolic health and greatest inflammation,”, the latter was in the higher stress class.
Meaning, that the impact of childhood trauma was higher in women than men, so females were likely to suffer from health issues when older.
Whereas, “emotional abuse and neglect also tended to have greater effects in males than females for several biomarkers and health conditions such as blood disorders, mental and behavior health issues, and thyroid issues,” states the study.
