One of the consequences of having suffered psychological traumas in childhood it is a greater predisposition to develop the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in adulthood. This has been determined by a study by Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States that is published in the journal 'Archives of General Psychiatry'.
The study has clearly stressed that trauma, especially emotional abuse and sexual abuse, is associated with a six-fold increased risk of developing chronic fatigue syndrome. The risk also increases with the presence of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Chronic fatigue has a characteristic low cortisol level. Cortisol as the stress hormone and is important for the body's regulation of this. The consequences of high stress levels in young children are still unknown, but they are increasingly understood.
As the researchers explain, certain childhood experiences that occur when the brain is developing and vulnerable can alter the way in which the body reacts to stress in subsequent years and could have long-term health consequences. They point out that depression and anxiety disorders are also related to stressful situations in childhood.
Perhaps when a child suffers, we will stop listening someday about "they are only children" and the environment will be sensitized not only towards serious cases of physical or sexual abuse, but also to all modes of abandonment and emotional abuse. Stress, fear, pain and stress have consequences on children's brains. Which? Every day we know a little more.
