Children are highly susceptible to anything and everything that occurs in their environments—various types of illness, peer pressure, and environmental toxins are only a few examples. However, there is another experience that children are particularly vulnerable to, trauma. Trauma comes in varying forms such as physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, bullying, experiences of poverty or mental illness, exposure to drug/alcohol addiction, and more. When an adverse environment surrounds a child, this may increase their chances of experiencing additional disadvantageous situations in the future. In these early stages of development, the brain and body undergo profound and critical stages of growth and maturation. This explains why children are increasingly at risk for the negative impact of traumatic experiences.
As an adult, those individuals who experienced any of the events mentioned prior have a higher risk of encountering neural alterations in important brain regions such as the amygdala, responsible for emotional processing, the prefrontal cortex, in control of decision-making and emotional regulation and finally, the hippocampus, which is needed for memory and learning. Experiences of childhood trauma can negatively reinforce these brain areas, resulting in increased emotional reactivity, difficulty in managing stress, agitation of impulses, and issues with consolidation and/or retrieval of memories. Bodily effects can include but are not limited to, a weakened immune system, gastrointestinal diseases, increased chance of heart disease and cardiovascular problems, higher levels of inflammation, chronic pain, and obesity. Lastly, the impact of childhood trauma seeps into the psychological sphere, since those with these experiences exhibit higher rates of mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and others.
These unfortunate realities relate to issues of social justice because experiences of trauma and its effects are reinforced by disadvantageous social and economic factors—all of which are intrinsically related to problems of social inequality. Childhood trauma affects children more when they come from families who have any of these characteristics: lower socioeconomic status, live in poorer neighborhoods, are POC, unsafe communities, and/or have limited access to beneficial education and healthcare. These situations not only are related to numerous social justice problems but also provide many opportunities for exposure to traumatic events and potential physical and psychological problems related to those experiences.
To further explore my research topic, I created a mixed media art piece inspired by my own traumatic childhood experiences of poverty and displacement. Utilizing collage on inkjet prints of my own body, I am reflecting on circumstances that have appeared in my life, possibly as a result of traumatic events as a child. As shown in the images, these health problems relate to areas such as gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, psychological, and the immune system. Through using materials such as glass beads, spackle, and nylon, I invoke ideas of childhood play and domesticity—both of which can be affected if a child encounters trauma in their early years. Art serves its purpose in this project as a way to educate but also works as a coping mechanism for me as I navigate my own life experiences and confrontations.
By: Alliey Thelen
