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International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience | ISSN: 1522-4821 | Volume 20
November 26-27, 2018 | Los Angeles, USA
Psychiatry, Mental Health Nursing and Healthcare
World Summit on
Applied Psychology, Psychiatry and Mental Health
International Conference on
&
The domino effect of trauma: Connections between adverse childhood experiences and complex/cumulative
posttraumatic stress disorder
Liz Lazzara
Writer and Mental Health Activist, USA
Statement of the problem:
"Children are resilient," or so people say but Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) brought on by a
parent or caregiver begin earlier than many know, take many overlooked forms and strongly correlate to impaired quality of life from
infancy into old age. There is no escape for these children; short of running away or seeking emancipation, they must endure chronic
trauma until they have the means to separate themselves from their toxic families. All the while, they are conditioned by society and
their family unit to love their families and blame themselves for not being "good kids." This, in turn, leads to complex/cumulative
PTSD, an under-researched condition, which I intend to explore in this discussion.
Methodology and Theoretical Orientation:
This is an interpretivist discussion combining scientific and sociological literature with
my experiences and that of others, aiming to illustrate the gravity of how childhood trauma affects adult life by pairing pre-existing
research findings with personal histories in order to humanize and confirm a largely theoretical mental disorder.
elizabethalazzara@gmail.comInt J Emerg Ment Health, Volume 20
DOI: 10.4172/1522-4821-C5-024