Our childhoods play a huge role in shaping who we'll become as adults. Childhood experiences may help determine how resilient we are when it comes to dealing with the stress of life. In fact, according to a new study, childhood trauma might be a major factor in the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
ScienceBlog reported that a group of researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark studied 746 soldiers who were deployed in Afghanistan. Before leaving, the soldiers completed a series of tests to measure depression, stress, and other factors. The soldiers also answered questions about childhood experiences such as physical punishment and family violence. During their tour of duty, the soldiers reported on direct experiences of stress and trauma, such as battlefield wounds, life-threatening situations, and killing enemy soldiers. Researchers assessed the soldiers again after they returned home, and followed their progress for at least eight months.
The researchers found that soldiers who reported violent childhood experiences were more likely to develop significant PTSD. Traumatic events in childhood, especially physical punishment that caused bruises, cuts, burns or broken bones, appears to create adults who are less resilient when it comes to coping with the stress of combat. Soldiers who reported witnessing other episodes of family violence, physical abuse, or death threats, were also more likely to develop symptoms of PTSD.
This study is interesting, but not particularly surprising to me. Children are so sensitive and malleable — it's no wonder that violent events during childhood could plant seeds of trouble that would reemerge when a soldier is exposed to more violence and stress.
Everything I've read says that discipline helps create resilient adults. But I guess that depends on the type of discipline and how it's administered. Severe physical punishment that causes injury is obviously not good. What about more socially acceptable forms of physical punishment like spanking, slapping, or flicking? Do these also constitute some degree of "childhood trauma" and lead to psychological trouble later in life?
My husband and I don't believe in or practice physical punishment, but now I also wonder about other forms of punishment. Who knows what a child perceives to be traumatic, or what creates stress? Perhaps in their eyes, raised voices or "time outs" are cruel. Perhaps having toys taken away is stressful.
I don't want to second-guess our discipline tactics. Rules, properly enforced, are important for kids to learn growing up. Kids need boundaries. They need discipline. I guess all we can do is strive to be calm, fair, and consistent when it comes to discipline. To set an example for our kids that they want to follow — discipline in the truest sense of the word.
What are your thoughts on discipline and punishment? How do you handle it in your family? Share experiences in the comments section below.
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