Sequelae of child abuse in adults

  • Jul 26, 2021
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Sequelae of child abuse in adults

The child abuse, whether physical or psychological, has a great emotional impact on the child, and will influence her later development as an adult. It is during the first five years of a child's life that what will be her personality is formed, and abuse greatly influences this development. The fear, the pain, the lack of security and the helplessness that the abused child feels leave in him a series of psychological sequelae that will carry over into adulthood unless treated by a professional. In this Psychology-Online article we are going to discover what the sequelae of child abuse in adults.

There are many psychological consequences of child abuse in adults. They feel in the way in which these people have to relate to others and, above all, in their own perception of themselves. The abuse can reach hurt emotionally very much to the person who has suffered it and, in addition, it can also cause great emotional dysfunctions.

Here we leave you some of the main sequelae of child abuse that tend to appear more commonly among adults:

Low self-esteem

The child's self-image is formed from the messages he receives from his parents and those close to him. The abused child always receives a poor self image, which translates into low self-esteem accompanied by shyness and lack of social skills when interacting with others.

Anxiety and distress

The abused child grows up in an environment in which those closest to him are the ones who frighten him the most. Therefore, as adults, it is common for refuse physical contact, the proximity of another and have difficulties in relating and trusting others.

Inability to show your feelings

Emotionally they are unable to show their feelings, because as children they used to be forced to hide them. In addition, they will tend to carry out only those behaviors that they consider to be approved by others, thus avoiding the negative consequences derived from the confrontation.

Depressive picture

It is also common to observe in adults that depressive pictures have been abused as children, since deprivation affective that they have suffered during their childhood, not receiving the love, understanding and care necessary when they were kids leads to depression, which is often disguised under other behaviors such as alcoholism, gambling, overeating, etc.

In this other article we will tell you how overcome psychological abuse.

Sequelae of child abuse in adults - Psychological consequences of child abuse

In addition to these psychological effects, we can also witness the consequences of child abuse in adults by assessing some attitudes or habits that these people carry out. As a general rule, self-destructive relationships not having been able to overcome this childhood trauma, therefore, it is common to create attitudes that are negative for oneself and harmful.

Having suffered abuse during childhood has a very serious impact on children and families. This means that, no matter how much time passes, the affected person still continues to feel the consequences of this situation. Here we discover some of the effects of child abuse that adults present:

  • Violence: One of the most common effects is that people who have suffered abuse turn into violent and irascible people. Due to the impotence they experienced during their childhood by not being able to defend themselves, they can create a shell or shield that makes them always be on the defensive. The violent attacks arise from that unresolved trauma that still marks their lives.
  • Tendency to depressions: It is also common for these people to have a tendency to be depressed. They tend to have a negative view of the world and, in the face of any complication or problem, they dismantle. They may not even remember the episodes of violence, but they have taken a toll on the way they live their life.
  • Smoking, alcoholism, or drugs: It is also very common for people who have suffered child abuse to have addictions such as tobacco, alcohol or drugs. We have already said that, most likely, they have low levels of self-esteem and, therefore, end up having destructive attitudes towards themselves.
  • Obesity or being overweight- Lack of self-esteem can also cause the person to not take care of themselves at all. In addition, traumatic episodes are also related to the fact of generating compulsive behaviors with food, drink, etc.
  • Risk sex: Another of the consequences of child abuse in adults is that people do not respect each other at all and have sexual relations in any way and with anyone. This is a reflection of his low self-esteem and self-respect. In addition, compulsively seeking the company of another person can also be a reflection of your need. of love and affection or, on the contrary, the search to have someone to dominate and feel stronger and insurance.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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