Child Abuse and Developmental Disparities

Abuse can cause detrimental impacts on the neurobiological makeup of a child’s mind during development. Child abuse can take many different forms such as physical, sexual, and mental abuse. These traumatic experiences in early childhood development can carry on throughout adult life increasing the risk of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Recent studies on the structure and function of brain regions in child abuse survivors shed light on the possibility of neurological healing. 

In class, Dr. Martha Ann Bell discussed her research on the relationship between frontal lobe maturation and intellectual development in children. In this study, Dr. Bell and her colleagues discovered that children with more advanced language skills had greater frontal alpha power, which is a measurement of maturity in the frontal regions of the brain. The executive function of inhibitory control, which involves the maintenance of automatic behaviors, was also greater in children with more advanced skills. Dr. Martha Ann Bell and her colleagues ultimately determined that inhibitory control is directly associated with children’s early academic skills and their neurobiological maturation. 

Dr. Bell et al. discuss the possible limitations of this study, such as the lack of extrinsic factors. This led me to wonder whether there are differences in inhibitory control and maturation in children who have suffered abuse. While researching this question, I came across a research article titled Childhood trauma and brain structure in children and adolescents (Peverill et al., 2023), that discussed the neurobiological abnormalities in children who have experienced abuse. In this study, researchers performed MRI scans on children exposed to maltreatment. The results from the scans showed that these children had notable differences in their brain regions, such as a thinner cortex in multiple areas, and smaller amygdala volumes. This smaller brain region is associated with impulse control and emotion, which are crucial for children’s development. Similar to Dr. Bell’s study, this research concluded that there is a relationship between child development and executive functions, such as impulse control and inhibitory control. Additionally, continuous abuse increases stress levels, which produces an overabundant amount of cortisol. Since the developing brain in children is highly malleable, mental problems arise such as difficulty in concentration and memory, ultimately impacting their intellectual skills. 

Although child abuse experiences are both biologically and psychologically debilitating, it is important to remember that these devastating experiences do not define an individual. Following research studies on understanding child development and abuse, neuroplasticity recovery techniques have been discovered. For example, rewiring, therapeutic interventions, and support groups all have the ability to aid in the healing process. Ultimately, both Dr. Martha Ann Bell’s research and this recent study reveal the importance of childhood development and how different factors such as impulse control and inhibitory control affect this. 

References

Whedon, M., Perry, N. B., Bell, M. A. (2022). Relations between frontal EEG maturation and inhibitory control in preschool in the predictions of children’s early academic skills. Brain and Cognition, 146, 105636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105636. 

Peverill, M., Rosen, M. L., Lurie, L. A., Sambrook, K. A., Sheridan, M. A., McLaughlin, K. A. (2023). Childhood trauma and brain structure in children and adolescents. Development Cognitive Neuroscience, 59, 101180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101180.

EndCAN. (2023, November 21). The Neurological Effects of Child Abuse and Hope for Healing. EndCan. https://endcan.org/2023/11/21/the-neurological-effects-of-child-abuse-and-hope-for-healing/