Problem:
Childhood trauma, such as witnessing domestic violence or personally experiencing abuse, has significant neurobiological effects for both physical and psychological health. Stress-response mechanisms and brain structures can be altered by trauma throughout crucial developmental stages. For example, children exposed to chronic violence often show overactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to elevated cortisol levels that impair immune function, increase vulnerability to illness, and disrupt normal brain development (Straub, 2023). The children may also undergo structural alterations in the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex, which are brain regions involved for emotion regulation, memory, and executive function. This might present psychologically as anxiety, depression, difficulty concentrating, and heightened sensitivity to perceived threats. Need Assignment Help?