Children growing up in an alcoholic or other dysfunctional homes struggle to find their identity in adulthood. They have most likely formed complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) and live with an inner turmoil that matches the instability they are experiencing from parents who are occupied with their own problems.
This article will focus on the formation of CPTSD in alcoholic (dysfunctional) homes and how it affects children and the adults they become.
Complex Trauma
Complex trauma refers to experiences of children of abuse and neglect that are severe and arise in a child’s early relationships with caregivers, such as living in an alcoholic or other dysfunctional home. Because these experiences occur in early child development, there are many potential impacts on their emotional, social, psychological, and physical development. Not children are affected in the same way as some may show a limited reaction, and for some, the reaction is delayed until adulthood, such as remembering the traumatic events.
A paper written in 2016 sums it up well, “Traumatic events during childhood were associated with later post-traumatic stress symptoms but with classic rather than complex symptoms. Social acknowledgment and dysfunctional disclosure partially mediated this relationship. These findings suggest that childhood traumatic stress impacts individuals across the life span and may be associated with particular adverse psychopathological consequences.”
The experience of complex trauma can lead to many changes in a child’s development, especially on a biological, psychological, and behavioral level (Danese and McCrory, 2015).
Comments (1)