Assignment 9

1 THE EFFCTS OF CHILD ABUSE ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT Assignment 9: Outline and Notes for Writing and Academic Paper in Psychology: The Effects of Child Abuse on Brain Development Taylor Hulme 1262684 Department of Psychology, University of Guelph PSYC 1500: Foundational Skills in Psych Dr. Julia Mcarthur November 5 th , 2023

2 THE EFFCTS OF CHILD ABUSE ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT Part 1: Outline for Final Paper Introduction  Child abuse comes in many forms such as physical, sexual, emotional or neglect. It can do irreversible harm to children by impacting their brain development. Abuse effects the neural structure and function of the developing brain causing permanent damage (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2023).  Research in this field has increased and this can lead to better treatment for those affected by child abuse. There are many different areas of the brain that child abuse can affect in both structure and activity.  Abuse can also affect their mental sate, emotions, and behaviours. Previous studies suggest that many different areas of the brain structure and activity are affected by child abuse (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2023).  Child abuse can also lead to psychiatric disorders such as borderline personality disorder, depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress and suicidal thoughts (Teicher, M. H., 2002).  The outline of this paper will include the studies of brain development propelled by child abuse, psychiatric disorders relating to child abuse, resilience relating to child abuse and the different types of child abuse along with their chronicity and severity.  In this paper, I will also talk about the implications for Child and Youth Work and health care professionals regarding prevention and intervention. Background  Genetics and a child’s environments both play a role in brain development. In healthy brain development, a baby would cry, giggle and gesture to their caregiver for a response strengthening their neural pathways (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2023).  Children who live with abuse become hyperalert towards danger. Their brains develop neuronal pathways for negative conditions, affecting their ability to respond to kind and nurturing situations (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2023).  In early childhood development because by the age of 2, a child’s brain is 80% of an adult (Gilmore et al., 2018).  Neurons communicate through synapses to allow humans to function in everyday activities (e.g., walking, talking, eating, sleeping, etc.) (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2023). During normal childhood development, synapses continuously develop while some may naturally discard (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2023).  Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), defined as any form of abuse, trauma, and/or neglect toward a child, may work to exacerbate the depletion of synapses and the

4 THE EFFCTS OF CHILD ABUSE ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT  The hope for professionals is to be able to keep children in their home but removing them from abuse if inside the home is also a necessary step for preventing any further negative brain development.  The families who are at-risk can find better supports through these professionals who are promoting healthy brain development.

5 THE EFFCTS OF CHILD ABUSE ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT Part 2: Notes for Final Paper Subtopic Specific Content How it Relates Source Effects of abuse on the brain - General Genetics and a child’s environments both play a role in brain development. In healthy brain development a baby would cry, giggle and gesture to their caregiver for a response strengthening their neural pathways Understanding how genetics and environment effect brain development helps to clarify how abuse can affect the brain. Showing the comparison of a healthy child can highlight the impacts of negative brain development due to abuse. Child Welfare Information Gateway, (2023). Effects of abuse on the brain – Effects on brain structure and activity Abuse effects the neural structure and function of the developing brain causing permanent damage. Understanding of the neural structure and the function of the developing brain is important to understand how abuse can impact it. Child Welfare Information Gateway, (2023) Effects of abuse on the brain – Effects on brain structure and activity Children who live with abuse become hyperalert towards danger. Their brains develop neuronal pathways for negative conditions, effecting their ability to respond to kind and nurturing situations. Understanding more about how the brain functions (neurons and pathways) helps to understand why children who have suffered abuse are acting certain ways due to these effects. Child Welfare Information Gateway, (2023) Effects of abuse on the brain – Effects on brain structure and activity The development of synapses is imperative in early childhood development because by the age of 2, a child’s brain is 80% of an adult. Understanding how quickly the brain develops and can be harmed at a young age helps to illustrate the impact of child abuse on brain development. Gilmore et al., (2018) Effects of abuse on the brain – Effects on brain structure and activity Neurons communicate through synapses to allow humans to function in Understanding the plasticity of the brain at an early age can help readers to Child Welfare Information Gateway, (2023)

7 THE EFFCTS OF CHILD ABUSE ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT Effects of abuse on the brain – Effects on behaviour, social and emotional functioning Abuse can also affect their mental sate, emotions, and behaviours. Previous studies suggest that many different areas of the brain structure and activity are affected by child abuse Knowing there are previous studies helps readers feel more trusted in what I am telling them in my paper. Also knowing that both brain structure and activity are affected creates a deeper understanding of how the brain is developing. Child Welfare Information Gateway, (2023) Effects of abuse on the brain – Effects on behaviour, social and emotional functioning The behavioural, social and emotion functioning are affected by these chemical changes in the brain and can also lead to physical health issues Understanding that the chemical reactions stem from the brain creating the changes in behavioural, social and emotional functioning. This also helps to highlight the importance of how the effects of the Brian can affect the whole body in regard to health. Child Welfare Information Gateway, (2023) Effects of abuse on the brain – Effects on stress levels Children who experience abuse frequently have the Toxic stress response. This affects the body’s stress systems affecting brain development. This connects to the amygdala as that is where your stress hormones are released. Center on the Developing Child. (2020) Effects of abuse on the brain – Effects on Brain structure and activity The hippocampus becomes smaller when a child is abused. This affects learning and memory. Understanding how the hippocampus is affected helps to see how child abuse physically affect the brain and can lead to other disorders. Child Welfare Information Gateway, (2023) Effects of abuse on the brain – Effects on Brain structure and activity (Stats) Comparing MRI scans of 17 individuals who experienced child Showing actual statistics and numbers helps to further prove my Teicher, M. H., (2002).

8 THE EFFCTS OF CHILD ABUSE ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT abuse and 17 of those who did not show that, the abused had a 12% smaller hippocampus. point that abuse affects brain development. Effects of abuse on the brain – Effects on Brain structure and activity (Stats) The hippocampus was 16% smaller in size and the amygdala were 8 smaller in size for adult women with borderline. personality disorder and a history of childhood maltreatment. This was found in a study don’t in 2001 by Martin Driessen and colleagues. Showing actual statistics and numbers helps to further prove my point that abuse affects brain development. Teicher, M. H., (2002). Psychiatric disorders relating to child abuse Child abuse can lead to psychiatric disorders such as borderline personality disorder, depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress and suicidal thoughts. Understanding how child abuse can lead to psychiatric disorders can help to understand how professionals can better prevent and intervene in child abuse. This also connects to the notes about emotional, behavioural, and chemical changes within the brain. Teicher, M. H., (2002). Psychiatric disorders relating to child abuse This impact can be found through brain wave abnormalities, EEG anomalies, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to see the physical changed in the brain’s hippocampus and amygdala. The left brain has a larger negative effect in Understanding how researchers got the information is important to know it is reliable. Using these testing they were physically able to see the effects on the brain and how it can lead to psychiatric disorders. Teicher, M. H., (2002).

10 THE EFFCTS OF CHILD ABUSE ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT Resilience There are instances where the child abuse does not affect the child’s brain structure, but it does affect their resilience. The resilience can be seen at different levels and is found in different parts of the brain Understanding the fact some children are more resilient than others help to explain why some kids do not have the same negative development as others. Its worthy to not this still needs more research and therefore should not rule out their potential impacts. Child Welfare Information Gateway, (2023)

11 THE EFFCTS OF CHILD ABUSE ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT References Anda, R., Felitti, V., Bremner, D., Walker, J., Whitfield, C., Perry, B., Dube, S., & Giles, W. (2006). The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 256 (3), 174-186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-005- 0624-4 Center on the Developing Child. (2020). Toxic Stress. Harvard University. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/toxic-stress/ Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2023). Child Maltreatment and Brain Development: A Primer for Child Welfare Professionals. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/brain_development.pdf Gilmore, J., Knickmeyer, R., & Gao, W. (2018). Imaging structural and functional brain development in early childhood. Nature, 19 , 123-137. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn.2018.1 Hart, H., & Rubia, K. (2012). Neuroimaging of child abuse: A critical review. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 6 (52), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2012.00052 Teicher, M. H. (2002). SCARS THAT WON’T HEAL: The Neurobiology of Child Abuse. Scientific American , 286 (3), 68–75 http://www.jstor.org/stable/26059603