Childhood PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) could be caused by anything that the child finds overwhelmingly distressing or life-threatening, such as abuse, natural disasters, witnessing violence, serious accidents, neglect, bullying or the sudden loss of a loved one.
According to the National Center for PTSD, approximately 3-15% of girls and 1-6% of boys in the general population of the United States will develop PTSD following a traumatic event.
4-5% of adolescents (ages 13-18) experience PTSD, this would translate to approximately
1.48 to 1.85 million adolescents with PTSD
A meta-analysis in Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review (2019) estimated that the global prevalence of PTSD among children and adolescents who have experienced a traumatic event is around 9.2% or 202.4 million children.
Child protection services in the U.S. get around three million reports each year. This involves 5.5 million children. Of the reported cases, there is proof of abuse in about 30%. From these cases, we have an idea how often different types of abuse occur:
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65% neglect
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18% physical abuse
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10% sexual abuse
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7% psychological (emotional) abuse
Long term effects
How Children are effected by living with adults with PTSD: Children may experience anxiety, depression, or emotional instability due to the stress and unpredictability associated with living with someone with PTSD. They might also feel confusion or fear about their parent's behavior and mood swings.
The role of Biological and Epigenetic Mechanisms in Trauma and PTSD: Biological studies suggest that trauma can lead to changes in gene expression, a process known as epigenetics. This means that the effects of trauma, such as PTSD, can be "programmed" into an individual's genes and potentially passed on to their offspring. For example, alterations in stress-related genes, like those regulating cortisol production (a key hormone involved in stress response), can be inherited, making future generations more susceptible to PTSD and other stress-related disorders. Additionally, maternal PTSD has been linked to changes in fetal programming, affecting the child’s stress regulation and increasing vulnerability to mental health issues later in life