Many individuals who suffer from chronic illness experienced trauma. Many individuals who experienced trauma receive diagnosis of a chronic illness. What is the relationship between these two phenomena? Does everyone with a chronic illness have a trauma history? Is every person who experiences trauma bound to get a chronic illness? While the exact origins of chronic illness is not fully known, there does appear to be a very strong relationship between trauma and chronic illness.
The ACEs, or Adverse Childhood Experiences study was one of the first to examine the link between trauma and chronic illness. This study examined the lives and health of more than 50,000 adult insurance plan members in California (Felitti, 2002). The study found that adverse childhood experiences correlated with adverse/chronic adult health conditions. Could the study say that these experiences caused the chronic conditions? No, but it did suggest a relationship. Additional studies have shown relationship between adverse experiences and depression, obesity, and psychosomatic symptoms such as headache and gastrointestinal distress (Chapman et al., 2004; Felitti, 1991). One study showed an increase in autoimmune diseases that correlated with increase in ACEs (Dube et al, 2009). Another showed more occurrences of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in individuals with higher ACEs (Anda et al, 2008). Evidence suggests that individuals who have experienced trauma may also experience chronic illness at some point in their lives.
Researchers have yet to discover exactly how adverse experiences and trauma affect contraction of chronic illness. So far, hypotheses suggest that trauma may impact coping strategies, and that “trauma-related psychopathology” may affect recovery from illness, possibly causing it to become chronic, rather than acute (Alonso, 2000; Beck & Clapp, 2011). Adequate and early treatment of trauma and its symptoms is very important for this reason.
Chronic illness can also become a trauma. This is especially true when the chronic illness involves pain (Gasperi et al., 2021). Pain becomes “an ongoing threat to safety,” which can result in symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and even actual diagnosis of this condition (Wilard Virant, 2019). Attention to the development of healthy coping skills matters for this population, too, whether or not they have trauma history.
Can trauma lead to chronic illness? Right now, research makes it look so. Can chronic illness also become a trauma? Right now, it looks like it. In both cases, though, support and healthy coping skills can make a big difference in quality of life. They can help control the stressors that inevitably come with illness and trauma. Will healthy coping take away trauma or chronic illness? Probably not. Taking ownership of one’s own life, however, can allow a person to live that life to its fullest extent, chronic illness and trauma notwithstanding.
Recommended Reads
Many individuals who suffer from chronic illness experienced trauma. Many individuals who experienced trauma receive diagnosis of a chronic illness. What is the relationship between these two phenomena? Does everyone with a chronic illness have a trauma history? Is every person who experiences trauma bound to get a chronic illness? While the exact origins of chronic illness is not fully known, there does appear to be a very strong relationship between trauma and chronic illness.
The ACEs, or Adverse Childhood Experiences study was one of the first to examine the link between trauma and chronic illness. This study examined the lives and health of more than 50,000 adult insurance plan members in California (Felitti, 2002). The study found that adverse childhood experiences correlated with adverse/chronic adult health conditions. Could the study say that these experiences caused the chronic conditions? No, but it did suggest a relationship. Additional studies have shown relationship between adverse experiences and depression, obesity, and psychosomatic symptoms such as headache and gastrointestinal distress (Chapman et al., 2004; Felitti, 1991). One study showed an increase in autoimmune diseases that correlated with increase in ACEs (Dube et al, 2009). Another showed more occurrences of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in individuals with higher ACEs (Anda et al, 2008). Evidence suggests that individuals who have experienced trauma may also experience chronic illness at some point in their lives.
Researchers have yet to discover exactly how adverse experiences and trauma affect contraction of chronic illness. So far, hypotheses suggest that trauma may impact coping strategies, and that “trauma-related psychopathology” may affect recovery from illness, possibly causing it to become chronic, rather than acute (Alonso, 2000; Beck & Clapp, 2011). Adequate and early treatment of trauma and its symptoms is very important for this reason.
Chronic illness can also become a trauma. This is especially true when the chronic illness involves pain (Gasperi et al., 2021). Pain becomes “an ongoing threat to safety,” which can result in symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and even actual diagnosis of this condition (Wilard Virant, 2019). Attention to the development of healthy coping skills matters for this population, too, whether or not they have trauma history.
Can trauma lead to chronic illness? Right now, research makes it look so. Can chronic illness also become a trauma? Right now, it looks like it. In both cases, though, support and healthy coping skills can make a big difference in quality of life. They can help control the stressors that inevitably come with illness and trauma. Will healthy coping take away trauma or chronic illness? Probably not. Taking ownership of one’s own life, however, can allow a person to live that life to its fullest extent, chronic illness and trauma notwithstanding.
Recommended Reads
References
Alonso, A.A. (2000). The experience of chronic illness and post-traumatic stress disorder: the consequences of cumulative adversity. Social science & medicine (50)10, 1475-1484. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(99)00399-8
Anda, R. F., Brown, D. W., Dube, S. R., Bremner, J. D., Felitti, V. J., & Giles, W. H. (2008). Adverse childhood experiences and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults. American journal of preventive medicine, 34(5), 396–403. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2008.02.002
Beck, J. G., & Clapp, J. D. (2011). A different kind of co-morbidity: Understanding posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic pain. Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy, 3(2), 101–108. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021263
Chapman, D. P., Whitfield, C. L., Felitti, V. J., Dube, S. R., Edwards, V. J., & Anda, R. F. (2004). Adverse childhood experiences and the risk of depressive disorders in adulthood. Journal of affective disorders, 82(2), 217–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2003.12.013
Dube, S. R., Fairweather, D., Pearson, W. S., Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., & Croft, J. B. (2009). Cumulative childhood stress and autoimmune diseases in adults. Psychosomatic medicine, 71(2), 243–250. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0b013e3181907888
Felitti V. J. (1991). Long-term medical consequences of incest, rape, and molestation. Southern medical journal, 84(3), 328–331. https://doi.org/10.1097/00007611-199103000-00008
Felitti V. J. (2002). The relation between adverse childhood experiences and adult health: Turning gold into lead. The Permanente journal, 6(1), 44–47. https://doi.org/10.7812/TPP/02.994
Gasperi, M., Afari, N., Goldberg, J., Suri, P., & Panizzon, M. S. (2021). Pain and trauma: The role of Criterion A trauma and stressful life events in the pain and PTSD Relationship. The journal of pain, 22(11), 1506–1517. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2021.04.015
Willard Virant, K. (2019, May 12). Chronic illness and trauma disorders. Psychology today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/chronically-me/201905/chronic-illness-and-trauma-disorders
References
Alonso, A.A. (2000). The experience of chronic illness and post-traumatic stress disorder: the consequences of cumulative adversity. Social science & medicine (50)10, 1475-1484. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(99)00399-8
Anda, R. F., Brown, D. W., Dube, S. R., Bremner, J. D., Felitti, V. J., & Giles, W. H. (2008). Adverse childhood experiences and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults. American journal of preventive medicine, 34(5), 396–403. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.
2008.02.002
Beck, J. G., & Clapp, J. D. (2011). A different kind of co-morbidity: Understanding posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic pain. Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy, 3(2), 101–108. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021263
Chapman, D. P., Whitfield, C. L., Felitti, V. J., Dube, S. R., Edwards, V. J., & Anda, R. F. (2004). Adverse childhood experiences and the risk of depressive disorders in adulthood. Journal of affective disorders, 82(2), 217–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2003.12.013
Dube, S. R., Fairweather, D., Pearson, W. S., Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., & Croft, J. B. (2009). Cumulative childhood stress and autoimmune diseases in adults. Psychosomatic medicine, 71(2), 243–250. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.
0b013e3181907888
Felitti V. J. (1991). Long-term medical consequences of incest, rape, and molestation. Southern medical journal, 84(3), 328–331. https://doi.org/10.1097/00007611-199103000-00008
Felitti V. J. (2002). The relation between adverse childhood experiences and adult health: Turning gold into lead. The Permanente journal, 6(1), 44–47. https://doi.org/10.7812/TPP/02.994
Gasperi, M., Afari, N., Goldberg, J., Suri, P., & Panizzon, M. S. (2021). Pain and trauma: The role of Criterion A trauma and stressful life events in the pain and PTSD Relationship. The journal of pain, 22(11), 1506–1517. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2021.04.015
Willard Virant, K. (2019, May 12). Chronic illness and trauma disorders. Psychology today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/
blog/chronically-me/201905/chronic-illness-and-trauma-disorders
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