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Abstract
Trauma affects children every day from sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, etc.. This
can affect them as they grow into adulthood if not properly treated, affecting their social lives,
mental health, and self-esteem. For a child to have resilience they need a strong support system,
whether it is from a loved one, a community, or from themselves. If possible, it is recommended
to have all three in order to have support from every area in his or her life. Spirituality can be
very beneficial for a trauma survivor because it allows them to have a bond with God and have
an outlet for the negative emotions while focusing on gaining positive emotions. Without
resilience and spirituality an individual can have developmental problems such as, emotional
irregularity, social behavior problems, as well as mental health risks. Though trauma affects
development there are different ways to minimize the damage done to the child so that it may not
follow them into adulthood.
Keywords: Trauma, development, resilience, spirituality, abuse
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Trauma, Development, and Spirituality Essay
Trauma is a life-altering experience that changes an individual psychologically and
possibly physically as well. There are various types of trauma a child can be exposed to; physical
abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, etc.. According to a journal article I read by McKay et al.
(2020), “Exposure to trauma in childhood or adolescence has been shown to be associated with a
variety of deleterious mental health outcomes including, psychotic experiences, depression,
bipolar disorder and psychosis.” When a child experiences trauma they cannot react as an adult
would, they cannot express themselves to the extent that an adult can, they are helpless in those
situations.
Emotional abuse can stunt a child emotionally, if they do not receive love, guidance, or
kindness it can cause the child to misinterpret what these words mean, love may look like
coldness and guidance may look like criticism. This will cause the child to have developmental
problems psychologically, meaning they would not know how to respond to various emotions.
According to the Counseling Individuals Through the Lifespan textbook, “Corporal punishment
used by parents may cause disrupted social behavior, delayed cognitive development, poor
quality of parent-child relationships, poorer moral internalization including parental values and
rules, and increased chances for mental health problems…” (Wong et al., 2020). Though parents
use spanking as a punishment, an excessive amount can be considered child abuse and will lead
to behavior problems later, this can even become a cycle and the abused can become the abuser.
Sexual abuse of a child can lead to low self-esteem, anxiety, and eating disorders. This
can affect their development by causing abnormalities in the amygdala which is the part of the
brain that processes emotions such as social behavior. If a child experiences these traumas it is
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imperative for them to have treatment and be taken out of the dangerous environment or risk
future mental health issues. Determining factors that lead to developmental delays would be
whether the child is taken out of the situation, if treatment such as counseling or medication is
put in place. Also, how often the abuse takes place, how much exposure the child has had to the
abuse, and how long the duration of the trauma has taken place (Hambrick, 2015).
Resilience is when an individual who faces a traumatic experience can keep a positive
mind and focus on things that are in their realm of control. According to Holm-Hansen (2014)
“Research has found that resilience can be optimized by strengthening three levels of protective
factors: individual, family, and community characteristics.”. This statement means that one must
work on their individual health such as their spirituality, their family bonds, as well as their
community resources in order to be resilient and overcome their traumas. Spiritual development
can be a part of resilience, it gives the individual a source to rely on and gives positive beliefs.
This can assist with emotional regulation as it gives the person a chance to fully express
themselves and turn the negative emotions into positive experiences. Using spiritual
development after a traumatic event allows a child to rely on something or someone greater than
themselves, for instance God. This gives them the opportunity to express and deal with their
trauma in a healthy and resilient manner.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, trauma affects children everywhere from emotional abuse, physical abuse,
to sexual abuse. Spirituality allows for a child to have a positive way to express themselves and
deal with the trauma that has been inflicted upon them. Through resources such as counseling,
spiritually, medication, and support a child can overcome childhood trauma and be a well-
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rounded adult. Through my research I was able to see how important it is for a child to have a
strong support system, in their family as well as the community. I believe a helpful way to learn
what would help a child who experiences trauma would be to ask adults who experienced
childhood trauma and what ultimately helped them overcome it. An important bible verse comes
to my mind when discussing this matter, 1 Peter 5:7 NIV “Cast all your anxiety on him because
he cares for you.”, this scripture tells me that God wants his children to cast their cares on him
and depend on him. God is a God of mercy and love and I believe that with him children can
fight with resilience to overcome their traumas.
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References
McKay, M.T., Cannon, M., Chambers, D., Conroy, R.M., Coughlan, H., Dodd, P., Healy, C.,
O’Donnell, L. and Clarke, M.C. (2020), Childhood trauma and adult mental disorder: A
systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort studies. Acta Psychiatr.
Scand., 143: 189-205. https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.13268
Wong, D. W., Hall, K. R., & Hernandez, L. W. (2020). Counseling Individuals Through the
Lifespan (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US).
https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781544343235
Cassiers, L. L. M., Sabbe, B. G. C., Schmaal, L., Veltman, D. J., Penninx, B. W. J. H., & Van
Den Eede, F. (2018). Structural and Functional Brain Abnormalities Associated With
Exposure to Different Childhood Trauma Subtypes: A Systematic Review of
Neuroimaging Findings. Frontiers in psychiatry, 9, 329.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00329
Hambrick, B. (2015). 12 factors that contribute the intensity of trauma’s impact. Brad
Hambrick. https://bradhambrick.com/12-factors-that-contribute-the-intensity-of-traumas-
impact/
Holm-Hansen, C. (2014). Trauma and Resilience . Wilder foundation.
https://www.wilder.org/sites/default/files/imports/AnokaCountyMWCtrauma%20Snapsh
