Neurobiological effects of childhood abuse

Rick, S., & Douglas, D. (2007). Neurobiological effects of childhood abuse. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing & Mental Health Services, 45(4), 47. Retrieved from EBSCOhost

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            As mentioned previously, stress has numerous negative effects on both health and psychological well-being. A common and extremely detrimental cause of stress that has received relatively little attention in psychological research is violence and abuse as it relates to the effects on the brain. As we have also learned, early childhood is the most crucial time for brain development, due to critical periods for language, sensory acuity and motor skills, and the brain’s continual pruning of neural pathways. The particular research article I found in the literature examines the neurobiological impacts found to be related to behavioral problems and psychiatric illness in children who have been abused. Specifically, researchers cited evidence that children who have been abused tend to have a higher amount of glucocorticoid receptors, which we learned in class are directly related to the stress response. Teicher, Andersen, Polcari, Anderson, & Navalta (2002) also found that early stress from child abuse is related to increased sensitivity in the stress response and disruptions in several stages of brain development, including neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, and myelination. Stress and violence has also been found to negatively affect the neural development of the hippocampus, the amygdala, the corpus callosum, and the cerebral cortex. This research, performed by professionals in the nursing field, encourages and implies that research evidence could and should be used in a practical setting for the interventions and treatments of the negative effects of abuse in special populations. The most common, long-term psychological effects of child abuse are posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. Researchers in this study promote the further investigation of intervention techniques such as encouraging positive attachments, coping mechanisms, prevention techniques, and family interventions.