The impact of childhood trauma and early intervention on mental health in adulthood

Abstract

Markmið með þessari rannsóknar var tvíþætt. Annars vegar að kanna hvort að geðheilsa einstaklinga sem höfðu upplifað áfall í æsku væri verri en einstaklinga sem ekki höfðu upplifað áfall eða upplifað áfall eftir 14 ára aldur. Hins vegar að athuga hvort að einstaklingar sem höfðu fengið áfall í æsku og íhlutun eftir áfall væru með betri geðheilsu en þeir sem ekki fengu íhlutun. Þátttakendur voru einstaklingar sem höfðu náð 18 ára aldri og eldri og völdu að taka þátt í gegnum samfélagsmiðilinn Facebook app. 180 einstaklingar tóku þátt, 174 svöruðu The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5) listanum og 171 svöruðu The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 Items (DASS-21) listanum. 59 einstaklingar náðu greiningarviðmiðun áfallastreitu og 115 náðu því ekki. Af þessum 59 einstaklingum, höfðu 47 upplifað áfall fyrir 14 ára aldur og 12 upplifað áfall eftir 14 ára aldur. Marktækur munur var á einstaklingum sem höfðu upplifað áfall í æsku og ekki, á DASS-21 lista. Þeir sem höfðu upplifað áfall voru kvíðnari og með meiri streitu en enginn marktækur munur var á þunglyndi. Engin munur var á íhlutun eftir áfall í æsku hvað geðheilsu á fullorðinsárum varðar.

The aim of this study was two-folded, to examine whether people who have suffered from childhood trauma have worse mental health than people who suffered trauma later in life or have not suffered from trauma. Secondly, to examine if people who had an intervention after childhood trauma have better mental health than people who did not have an intervention after childhood trauma. Participants in this study were individuals 18 years or older who chose to participate in the study through the social media Facebook app. A total of 180 individuals participated in the study, 174 responding to The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5) and 171 responded to The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 Items (DASS-21) list. 59 individuals did meet PTSD diagnostic criteria, and 115 did not. Of these 59 individuals, 47 experienced trauma before the age of 14 and 12 experienced trauma after the age of 14. Significant differences were in the mental health of traumatized individuals and non-traumatized individuals. According to the DASS-21 list, individuals who had experienced childhood trauma had greater anxiety and stress than individuals who had not experienced childhood trauma. There was no significant difference in depression between those who experienced trauma in childhood and those who did. There was also no significant difference between individuals who experienced trauma depending on whether they received early intervention or not in depression, anxiety, stress and PTSD.