Journal of Student Research 2018

10 Journal Student Research childhood trauma. Researchers then correlated each individual’s physical and mental health to their number of childhood traumas. There were eight different traumas incorporated into the questionnaire including physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, neglect, parental separation/ divorce, parental criminal activity, parental mental illness, and parental substance use. This study found that individuals exposed to four or more traumatic events/situations were discovered to be four-and-a-half times more likely to develop depression, and 12 times more likely to experience suicidality, among other negative health outcomes (Felitti et al., 1998).

Purpose

The purpose of this research was to examine the lived experiences of individuals who endured childhood trauma. Furthermore, the researcher aimed to determine if the experience of childhood trauma impacted an individual’s own life choices related to career.

Importance of Research

Felitti et al. (1998) suggested that there is a gap in literature regarding the frequency and severity of childhood traumas. “Increased awareness of the frequency and long-term consequences of adverse childhood experiences may also lead to improvements in health promotion and disease prevention programs” (Felitti et al., 1998, p. 256). The ACE study was quantitative in nature, whereas this study is qualitative. This research is significant because it highlights both frequency and severity of adverse childhood experiences and assessed the impact of parental substance use in the home. This study is beneficial to society because the data can contribute to the professional field. Ideally, the results will influence providers who work with children exposed to trauma and the services available to them, including best practices for those working with these children. It is crucial that providers for children who have experienced trauma take a trauma informed care approach. This approach ensures that providers are educated in the aspect of trauma (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2014). When a child is exposed to severe trauma, certain situations can induce the same feelings of fear and panic that were experienced in the original trauma; this is referred to as a trigger (SAMHSA, 2014). Conducting in-depth interviews with individuals who have experienced multiple childhood traumas will help to provide a better understanding of the long-term impacts of childhood trauma, and identify Rationale