Impact of a Traumatic Childhood on Adult Health

[Phoenix84]

I found an interesting article about how traumatic childhood experiences impact adult health. There's even a test to help determine if bad childhood experiences impact your health. If you score 4 or higher, your chances of having negative health outcomes as an adult increases substantially.

I had a score of 0. Overall I am healthy, and don't feel any health issues I have are due to a traumatic childhood.

What's your score, and do you feel it has impacted your health?

www.yahoo.com/health/10-questions-that-tell-if-your-childhood-was-bad-112803695912.html

Here's the test, you assign one point for each "yes."

1.Before your 18th birthday, did a parent or other adult in the household often or very often swear at your, put you down, or humiliate you? OR act in a way that made you afraid that you might be physically hurt?

2.Before your 18th birthday, did a parent or other adult in the household often or very often push, grab, slap, or throw something at you? OR ever hit you so hard that you had marks or were injured?

3.Before your 18th birthday, did an adult or person at least five year older than you ever touch or fondle you or have you touch their body in a sexual way? OR attempt or actually have oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse with you?

4.Before your 18th birthday, did you often or very often feel that no one in your family loved you or thought you were important or special? OR your family didn’t look out for each other, feel close to each other, or support each other?

5.Before your 18th birthday, did you often or very often feel that you didn’t have enough to eat, had to wear dirty clothes, and had no one to protect you? OR your parents were too drunk or high to take care of you or take you to the doctor if you needed it?

6.Before your 18th birthday, was a biological parent ever lost to you through divorce, abandonment, or other reason?

7.Before your 18th birthday, was your mother or stepmother often or very often pushed, grabbed, slapped or had something thrown at her? OR sometimes, often, or very often kicked, bitten, hit with a fist, or hit with something hard? OR ever repeatedly hit over at least a few minutes or threatened with a gun or knife?

8.Before your 18th birthday, did you live with anyone who was a problem drinker or alcoholic, or who used street drugs?

9.Before your 18th birthday, was a household member depressed or mentally ill, or did a household member attempt suicide?

10.Before your 18th birthday, did a household member go to prison?

[msventoux]

Well that's depressing.  However the final paragraph does note that it's important not to overlook the ability of individuals to be resilient and learn from difficult experiences.  I also think a lot of the health issues noted in the article can be the result of a chosen lifestyle, whether there was childhood trauma or not. 

[alabamagal]

I have a good friend who would score 0 but has some serious health issues because she grew up in a house with chain smokers. She never touched a cigarette in her life but is definitely dealing with issues from smoking.

[Deleted]

I scored a 7 and so far have been pretty healthy.

There were many good things in my childhood to help balance the bad things so I really don't have much confidence in tests like this.

[Artemis Windsong]

I scored 7 or 8 if No. 6 includes a father who traveled for work.

My physical health is good.  My emotional/mental health is ify.

[zibazinski]

I'd score pretty high and I'm very healthy. Living is the best revenge. Those who made my life hell were unhealthy a good portion of their lives and died from it. Karma.

[Deleted]

I scored a 5 or 6.  I consider myself physically very healthy.  Mentally...eh...LOL  I probably have some hangups.

[giramomma]

I think genetics and taking care of oneself outweights a crap childhood when dealing with physical health.

I'm at risk for a whole host of physical issues because I've got poor ovaries and my hormones are wacky. Nothing on that list is directly responsible for my ovaries not functioning properly.

[cronewitch]

I only got one but a couple others were iffy. Dad drank too much but not much of a problem, mom was depressed but never did anything about it so the only one I got was being hit hard enough to leave a mark. My health is pretty good except being obese.

[Deleted]

Those questions break my heart when I think of kids growing up in those circumstances. DS would score a 4.   (Ex was alcoholic, mentally ill, verbally abusive and I assume that being jailed for violating the Restraining Order before being bailed out counts as going to prison.) 

I agree, though, that there are a lot of other factors that can compensate.  Last night we drove home from a family wedding in TX- me, current DH who has been a wonderful influence on DS, DDIL and their sweet baby girl.  From the ashes of my divorce when DS was 12, God built a family- a loving, functional one with parents who live up to their responsibilities and spouses who support each other.  As for DS's physical health it's darned good- thanks to a good psychologist who helped him manage his ADD, he's careful about what he eats, works out every day, and his bloodwork is fine.

I have a BIL who had a deprived, abusive childhood and although he's been a wonderful husband and father, he's on a pharmacy full of meds for PTSD to keep his brain chemistry on a level playing field with everyone else.  His brother has a string of broken relationships and a few kids here and there.  Sometimes you can rise above a bad upbringing; sometimes it's just too much. 

[Deleted]

Mar 8, 2015 16:38:49 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Those questions break my heart when I think of kids growing up in those circumstances. DS would score a 4.   (Ex was alcoholic, mentally ill, verbally abusive and I assume that being jailed for violating the Restraining Order before being bailed out counts as going to prison.) 

I agree, though, that there are a lot of other factors that can compensate.  Last night we drove home from a family wedding in TX- me, current DH who has been a wonderful influence on DS, DDIL and their sweet baby girl.  From the ashes of my divorce when DS was 12, God built a family- a loving, functional one with parents who live up to their responsibilities and spouses who support each other.  As for DS's physical health it's darned good- thanks to a good psychologist who helped him manage his ADD, he's careful about what he eats, works out every day, and his bloodwork is fine.

I have a BIL who had a deprived, abusive childhood and although he's been a wonderful husband and father, he's on a pharmacy full of meds for PTSD to keep his brain chemistry on a level playing field with everyone else.  His brother has a string of broken relationships and a few kids here and there.  Sometimes you can rise above a bad upbringing; sometimes it's just too much. 

I don't think jail and prison would be the same so he may be only a 3.

[Bonny]

Mar 8, 2015 16:10:35 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

I scored a 5 or 6.  I consider myself physically very healthy.  Mentally...eh...LOL  I probably have some hangups.

I'm with you Sistah!

But I'm continually amazed at how strong you are.

[Peace Of Mind]

LMAO!!  I scored an 8.  The irony?  They are all dead and I'm still kicking even with genetic diseases I was born with.  Oh snap!  But I'll be pissed if I live to be in my 90's like my grandma.  

To all of you with high scores -   <<starts singing>>    I We will survive,  Hey! Hey!    

[Tiny]

I scored a 7 (maybe an 8). I seem to be pretty healthy... emotional/mental health - well - that's debatable

As a kid, I thought my home life was normal -- I didn't have anything to compare it to until I got to 4th grade or so. Dad was a verbally abusive alcoholic/chain smoker (drunk every weekday evening by 6:00pm and drinking from the moment he got up on the weekend mornings...) I found it to be a relief when he died (I was 11).

[Gardening Grandma]

I scored a 2. I am pretty healthy, but need to shed some extra weight.

[Opti]

I don't think one of mine is listed. My Dad used to smoke pipes mostly from my birth

to perhaps five years of age. I think it caused less lung capacity in me and perhaps

made me more allergic than I would have been otherwise.

I demand a recount.  (Shouldn't I be healthier only scoring a one?)

[lurkyloo]

I heard a talk at a conference in 2012 describing measurable physical changes at the epigenetic level between normal and emotionally neglected or abused (babies?  maybe children? Pretty sure it was work done on humans anyway).  What that means is that while the sequence of your DNA is not affected, the pattern of marks on it that influence things like transcription is measurably changed.  

In typical me fashion, I remember being totally fascinated by the result and can't recall any of the specifics     I can go look for them if anyone else is a big nerd like me 

Oh, and I'm a 1 or 2 at most.  Physically healthy, mental tendencies toward the basket case side (but generally functional).

[mmhmm]

Mar 8, 2015 16:10:35 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

I scored a 5 or 6.  I consider myself physically very healthy.  Mentally...eh...LOL  I probably have some hangups.

*chuckle* Doesn't everybody? Heck, it's our hangups that make us interesting. They often define who we are in some ways. If we were all the same it would be a pretty boring world.

[Formerly SK]

Holy f*ck I'm 10 for 10. 

[gs11rmb]

I'm a 1 only because my mother divorced my natural father when I was a baby.  She remarried, my Dad adopted me and has given me much more than his name, so I feel like a 0 (but in a good way .)  I may have said this before but the older I get the more grateful I become for my slightly boring but emotionally stable childhood.

My family certainly wasn't perfect but I never experienced any sort of abuse or fear in my home.  I can't begin to comprehend some of the life experiences of my fellow posters.

[NancysSummerSip]

Mar 8, 2015 23:17:49 GMT -5 Formerly SK said:

Holy f*ck I'm 10 for 10. 

That's a Lifetime movie if ever there was one!

[The Captain]

Mar 8, 2015 17:07:30 GMT -5 Bonny said:

Mar 8, 2015 16:10:35 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

I scored a 5 or 6.  I consider myself physically very healthy.  Mentally...eh...LOL  I probably have some hangups.

I'm with you Sistah!

But I'm continually amazed at how strong you are.

I'm quoting this only so I can call out minnesotapaintlady and say !

[ArchietheDragon]

I am a zero. So boring.

[Ryan]

I'm a 0 as well...my parents didn't even swear, let alone at me!  

[Green Eyed Lady]

On the flip-side, I scored a zero....and I'm all kinds of issuey.

[Angel!]

I'm a 1 or 2. My oldest kids are 5 .  Though it was all before the ages of 3 & 5, so it probably won't have the same effect.  They don't know about the drugs or alcohol, depression, or jail.  They don't even really remember when he was acting crazy other than the yelling.  They do have one specific memory of him angry, but even that has changed over time so they don't really remember what happened. 

What will impact them is the loss of parent.  They miss him all the time.  It really sucks to sit with your daughter when she is crying because she misses her dad because you can't just tell her that he is a crappy father & not worth her time.  It makes me sad & I don't really know what to tell them.

[NancysSummerSip]

What will impact them is the loss of parent. They miss him all the time. It really sucks to sit with your daughter when she is crying because she misses her dad because you can't just tell her that he is a crappy father & not worth her time. It makes me sad & I don't really know what to tell them.

Just reading that makes me really hate your ex. I know....I shouldn't say that. But he still could have been a decent dad and an XH. Once you have offspring, I don't understand treating your kids like they are one of life's options, yanno? But maybe I'm wrong, or mean, since I never had kids.

[Deleted]

Mar 9, 2015 11:19:35 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

What will impact them is the loss of parent. They miss him all the time. It really sucks to sit with your daughter when she is crying because she misses her dad because you can't just tell her that he is a crappy father & not worth her time. It makes me sad & I don't really know what to tell them.

Just reading that makes me really hate your ex. I know....I shouldn't say that. But he still could have been a decent dad and an XH. Once you have offspring, I don't understand treating your kids like they are one of life's options, yanno? But maybe I'm wrong, or mean, since I never had kids.

If he's still using the kids are better off with him being 1000 miles away.

[NancysSummerSip]

Mar 9, 2015 12:24:12 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Mar 9, 2015 11:19:35 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

Just reading that makes me really hate your ex. I know....I shouldn't say that. But he still could have been a decent dad and an XH. Once you have offspring, I don't understand treating your kids like they are one of life's options, yanno? But maybe I'm wrong, or mean, since I never had kids.

If he's still using the kids are better off with him being 1000 miles away.

True in the long run and probably for a lot of the short run, too. But in the right here/right now scenario, it has to be hard on a little kid who misses daddy. Especially if she sees her other friends with their dads.

[Lizard Queen]

Mar 8, 2015 21:34:53 GMT -5 Opti said:

I don't think one of mine is listed. My Dad used to smoke pipes mostly from my birth

to perhaps five years of age. I think it caused less lung capacity in me and perhaps

made me more allergic than I would have been otherwise.

I demand a recount.  (Shouldn't I be healthier only scoring a one?)

I agree. My dad smoked 3 packs a day until I was 4. I have allergies, and have always gotten easily winded. It makes me wonder if there's a connection .

I score a 4 otherwise.