countless studies have proven that experiencing abuse in childhood increases the risks of psychiatric illness in later life. To help avoid such severe consequences and for better treatment, researchers have unveiled the whole mechanism involved in traumatic events in childhood and later health problems.
Elisabeth Binder of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry analyzed the DNA of 2000 Afro-Americans having a history of experiencing trauma in childhood. One-third of the participants were found experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.
Binder found early trauma leading to genetic variations in the FKBP5 gene, lasting alterations in DNA methylation, and finally, permanent dysregulation of the stress hormone system. FKPB5 plays an important role in stress regulation of the body.
All these factors lower a person's ability to deal with stressful situations in their whole life, and makes them more vulnerable to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or anxiety disorder in adulthood.
"Depending on genetic predisposition, childhood trauma can leave permanent epigenetic marks on the DNA, further de-repressing FKBP5 transcription," Torsten Klengel, a scientist at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, explained in a news release. "The consequence is a permanent dysregulation of the victim's stress hormone system, which can ultimately lead to psychiatric illness. Decisive for victims of childhood abuse, however, is that the stress-induced epigenetic changes can only occur if their DNA has a specific sequence."
According to an estimate from National Child Abuse Statistics, nearly six million children are abused and five children die per day across the country. Child abuse can leave both a mental and physical impact on children. Children who experience abuse at an early age are more likely to take drugs and abuse their own children in adulthood.
Earlier studies have shown an association between adverse childhood experiences and health outcomes later in life. Smoking, cancer and metabolic disorders are some among them.
