a SciTechnol journal Research Article Kitta et al., J Trauma Stress Disor Treat 2016, 5:3 DOI: 10.4172/2324-8947.1000160 International Publisher of Science, Technology and Medicine Journal of Traumatic Stress Disorders & Treatment All articles published in Journal of Traumatic Stress Disorders & Treatment are the property of SciTechnol, and is protected by copyright laws. Copyright © 2016, SciTechnol, All Rights Reserved. Childhood Trauma and Adult Distress Symptoms Maria Kitta 1 , Mary Gouva 2 *, Georgios Hadjigeorgiou 3 , Krommidas George 2 and Bonotis Konstantinos 4 Abstract Childhood trauma is highly prevalent and consist a major public health problem with severe adverse physical and mental effects later in life. The purpose of the study was to investigate the childhood trauma effects on adult psychopathology, as expressed through their distress symptoms. One thousand two hundred ninety-three (1293), healthy individuals (343 men and 894 women) were enrolled in the study. They were divided into two groups on the basis of their responses of experienced negative life events (at least one childhood traumatic event vs. no event) and flled out the SCL-90 questionnaire. Accidents (18%), fears (16%), loss of house and pets (15%), educational queries and doubts (13%) and parental divorce (11%), were the most frequent childhood adversities. Participants who had at least one childhood stressor differed statistically signifcantly in all SCL-90 subscales, when compared with their counterparts without any childhood adversity (p<0.001). PSDI score for the family violence group differed statistically signifcantly when compared with the “death” and “disease” group (p=0.002).This study underlines the associations of common childhood adversities, especially domestic violence, with distress symptoms in adulthood and demonstrate the importance of a deeper understanding about the unique effects of some common ELS subtypes. Keywords Childhood trauma; Mental health; Adulthood; Stressor *Corresponding author: Mary Gouva, School of health, Department of Nursing, Higher Technological Educational Institution of Epirus, Ioannina, Greece, Tel: +30 2651050762; E-mail: gouva@ioa.teiep.gr; gouvamary@gmail.com Received: May 30, 2016 Accepted: June 14, 2016 Published: June 20, 2016 Introduction Childhood trauma is highly prevalent and consist a major public health problem resulting in adverse efects on physical and mental health, which persist through late adulthood [1]. Te term is used ofen alternatively to early life stress (ELS) that refers to a variety of traumatic experiences that may occur during childhood and adolescence and is a social problem that represents a substantial public health burden. Childhood trauma has strong efects on neural structure and function, rendering an individual susceptible to later cognitive defcits and psychiatric morbidity, including schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder. Individuals who have experienced abuse or neglect in childhood are 1.3 to 3.1 times more likely to experience lifetime major depressive disorder or dysthymia, depending on type, severity, and frequency of the trauma [2,3]. A wide range of psychiatric disorders in adulthood can be attributed to ELS although many who had childhood trauma exposure are quite resilient. In the present study, ELS refers to forms of childhood adversities such as separation, family violence, death in the family, resulting in the physical and emotional abuse of the child. Te physical abuse of a child is defned as the intentional use of physical force against a child and much of the physical violence against children at home is inficted as a means of punishment. Te emotional abuse and neglect involves isolated incidents and a pattern of failure over time on the part of a model or caregiver to provide a developmentally appropriate and supportive environment. Tis could in a broader sense include an absence of supporting environment due to physical loss. Indeed, some studies suggest that exposure to some other stressors during childhood, such as the death of a parent or substitute, deprivation, maternal or paternal abandonment, separation or divorce, and parental psychiatric disorders, may also be associated with psychiatric disorders in adulthood [4]. Although childhood adversities have a well-recognized impact on adulthood psychopathology in clinical populations, there is little information about adversity in wider populations. On the other hand, research so far has focused mainly on well-defned and critical stressors such as emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect and parental psychiatric disorders. Other forms of childhood adversity such as parental loss or separation, or a wide range of early stressful life events have drawn less attention in regarding to their adulthood impact. Te purpose of the present study was to investigate the childhood trauma efects on adult psychopathology, as expressed through their distress symptoms. Methods Te total number of individuals was one thousand two hundred ninety-three (1293), healthy individuals (343 men and 894 women) that were a) either undergraduates or postgraduate students of Greek Universities or administrative employees at the above Universities, b) both public servants and/or employees in private sectors and c) relatives and friends of the above individuals. Te average age of these participants was 34.61 (12.58). All subjects had at least graduated from Primary school and they had no history of mental disorders nor did they require psychiatric medication. Tose 1293 individuals were divided into two groups on the basis of their responses of experienced negative life events. Te frst group (CT) consisted of 758 individuals (179 males and 579 females) who reported being exposed to at least one childhood traumatic event. Te second group (NCT) consisted of 479 individuals (164 males and 315 females) who reported not being exposed to such experiences. All the participants who fulflled the study’s requirements and accepted to participate in it were informed about the procedure of the study. A self-report questionnaire, asking for certain socio- demographic information (e.g. gender, age, education, etc.), was enriched with a closed question one regarding traumatic experience during childhood: a) have you ever experienced a traumatic live event as a child? -it was the answer to this question that determined the formation of the two groups in the present study and an open question one b) if the answer to the above closed question was yes, they then had to describe the event and indicate when it occurred. According to this, in this survey the authors selected some types of traumatic life