However,
the consequences of this sort of violence can be much more serious that thought. A recent
study conducted by psychologists from Plymouth University's School of Psychology suggests that the stress caused in childhood by this sort of
violence could lead to serious health issues later in life.
250 healthy
adults, 150 adults with asthma, 150 with heart disease, and 150 with cancer, all of them from Saudi Arabia, were asked
questions about their infancy and if they had been victims of physical or verbal
abuse.
The results
showed that people with heart disease were 20% more likely to have suffered
from physical and/or verbal abuse when children, those with asthma were 60% more
likely, and the ones with cancer were 70% more likely, compared to the adults
who were healthy.
Although
the results are quite clear and push us to believe that indeed violence in infancy
had a strong influence in these ill people, there are experts such us Dr Andrea
Danese, Clinical Lecturer in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at the Institute
of Psychiatry, King's College London, who claim that this study is not 100% trustable
since the evidence is based on testimonies of sick grown-ups, who may be more
likely to report and unhappy infancy.
Furthermore,
Prof David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor Of The Public Understanding Of Risk
at the University of Cambridge, said: “I would be very cautious about
over-interpreting these results. For example, the healthy group are taken from
administrators and nurses at the hospital treating the patients, and so are likely
to differ in many ways from the ill people. The controls reported less beating
and insulting as children, so maybe not being beaten encourages people to enter
a caring profession, rather than protecting them from disease?”
To read The Telegraph's piece of news on this study, click here.
To read the paper "The Impact of Violence on Children" by Dr Joy D. Osofsky, click here.
Do you
support the thesis that violence in early childhood could lead to the diseases mentioned? Or, do you think that the results of the study are being
over-interpreted?
I think that there's a chance for this tehsis to be truth, since somatizing (an emotional or psychological state showing through an ill body)is a fact. But I'm more drawn to believe that this thesis is a misinterpretation of the facts, for all we know these facts may be only co-ocurrent and not cause-consequence. To make such an statement that child abuse may result in sick adult, implies a follow up of the subjects, neurological and psychological tests, among others.
ReplyDeleteI never thought it in that way before. Human brain is limitless and powerful, and sometimes acts like a “sponge” that absorb some reactions and those can have an impact on future situations. If childhood traumas affect an adult’s behavior, it could be possible that they affect him/her physiologically as well. However, I’m concerned that results may be over-interpreted. There are many factors that can be the causes for certain illnesses: social environment, living conditions, pathological factors, among others. Those can be more likely to affect an adult’s health than psychological ones; nevertheless, I insist it may be possible.
ReplyDeleteI believe it to be more possible that being abused during childhood may lead you to psychological consequences, rather than physiological ones. Also, I agree with Andrés in the sense that there are many factors responsible for the diseases mentioned and due to that, child abuse sounds like an elaborate factor.
ReplyDeleteI do think that the results of the study presented might have been over-interpreted. How the results are interpreted is questionable and doubtful.