Childhood Trauma: What Doesn't Kill You Might Make You a More Empathetic Adult

Although childhood trauma is ordinarily associated with negative consequences in adulthood, “post-traumatic growth” research suggests that some individuals might become more resilient (NEJM JW Psychiatry Nov 2017 and Acta Psychiatr Scand 2017; 136:483). For online surveys on this topic, investigators recruited two populations (study 1: N=387; mean age, 35; 70% women; 78% white; study 2: N=442; mean age, 35; 62% women; 79% white).

All participants completed childhood trauma scales for events prior to age 17 involving close death, parental upheaval (divorce, separation), traumatic sexual experience, violence, and other personality-altering upheavals. In study 1, 309 participants reported trauma, and 78 reported no trauma; in study 2, the numbe…