The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Puberty

We are all aware of the long term physical impact of trauma and abuse. I experienced it first hand when I got three slipped discs and had to have surgery just a few weeks after my father passed away. However did you know that experiencing abuse or trauma in childhood also impacts the onset of puberty?

Factors that Impact the Onset of Puberty

There has been lots of research about the factors that determine when boys and girls start going through puberty. A complex mix of factors comes into play, including:

Heredity

Heredity is a major factor in determining when puberty will begin. It’s all predetermined by our genes before we are even born. The exact timing of puberty depends on many different things, including hormones, age, and gender. For instance, girls tend to start puberty earlier than boys do.

However it is not the sole determinant and the onset of puberty can be impacted by one or more of the following issues.

Weight and % of body fat to body weight

Weight and body fat are two important factors that can affect the onset of puberty, particularly for girls. Research has shown that having high levels of body fat can lead to girls getting their first period earlier than other girls.

This is due to the fact that when there is an increase in body fat levels, more estrogen is released into a girl’s body and this causes the brain to trigger puberty. Additionally, studies have found that girls who are overweight or obese tend to grow taller faster than those with average weights. This could be because of the presence of higher levels of growth hormones in their bodies.

Birth weight

Birth weight can have a significant impact on both genders when it comes to the onset of puberty.

Babies who are born with low birth weight are likely to start puberty earlier than other children. This is because of the fact that they may have higher levels of hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen, which causes their bodies to develop at a faster rate.

Low-birth-weight girls tend to get their first period five to ten months earlier than other girls, while low-birth-weight boys can be prone to having smaller testicular volume. This could be due the presence of higher levels of growth hormones in the body which accelerates physical development.

Country of birth and environment

The country of birth and environment can play a significant role in the onset of puberty. Generally speaking, research has found that children in developed countries and those who live in dense urban areas hit puberty earlier than those in less developed countries or those who live in rural areas.

This can be attributed to factors such as higher stress levels, lower quality nutrition, improved access to health care, better physical activity opportunities, and exposure to a wider range of chemicals which are all present in the cities.

Additionally, there could also be an effect due to social influences. For example, seeing peers who are more physically or sexually mature might accelerate the process of growing up for some adolescents

Adverse Childhood Experiences

Adverse childhood experiences can have a significant impact on when children enter puberty. Studies have found that children who experience trauma or stressful situations early in life are likely to start puberty earlier than other children. This is often attributed to the increase of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenalin, throughout their development that can lead to advanced physical and hormonal changes.

These changes could be associated with lower self-esteem, higher levels of aggression, risk-taking behaviour, anxiety, depression and poor academic achievement in later years. It is therefore important to foster a positive environment for young children to grow up in so they do not experience any type of emotional or physical distress during this crucial period of development.

ACEs and Puberty

Children who experience Adverse Childhood Experiences have to grow up early. This is something that anyone who lived in a dysfunctional family or who experienced trauma as a child already knows.

However most people do not realize that these children do not only grow up faster mentally. Their body grows up faster too. In fact it has been found that children who have experienced difficult circumstances in childhood start puberty earlier than those who do not.

Some examples of ACEs that impact puberty include:

Exposure to violence: Exposure to violence, such as physical or sexual assault, can lead to increased levels of stress hormones in a child which can cause them to enter puberty sooner than other children.

Poverty: Children living in poverty may experience malnutrition and poor access to medical care, both of which are associated with earlier onset of puberty.

Neglect: Neglect or lack of parental involvement can also contribute to heightened levels of stress hormones and therefore early onset of puberty for the affected children.

Environmental toxins: Exposure to environmental toxins, such as smog or pesticides, has been linked to early onset of puberty due to the effect these chemicals have on the body’s hormone balance.

Poor nutrition: Nutritional deficiencies due to poverty or poor dietary habits can lead to an imbalance in hormone levels resulting in earlier onset of puberty for some children.

Stressful home life: Experiencing consistent stress inside the home due to family problems or disagreements can cause increased cortisol and adrenalin levels leading to early onset of puberty for the affected child.

If a child experiences any of the above, then it is likely that he or she will start puberty earlier in life. They are also more prone to become sexually active earlier than other children and to take more sexual risks.

Physical Changes in Puberty

Puberty is not just about getting your period or larger genitals. These things do happen, but they occur towards the end of the pubertal years. Before girls and boys get to this stage, they go through several other physical and psychological changes.

The body and the skeleton start to grow and change. The child starts getting taller. Boys’ shoulders widen and they develop increased muscle mass. Girls’ hips widen and they accumulate more body fat. Genitals and breasts start to grow.

This stage of puberty affects girls and boys differently. Boys are pleased about the changes in their body, since broad shoulders and muscles are seen as attractive in most societies. Girls, on the other hand, have a harder time of it. The “ideal” female body type as depicted in the media is thin and lean, with narrow hips. This makes girls’ developing curves appear unattractive and undesirable.

The problem is obviously magnified when girls develop physically earlier than their peers. Their larger breasts and wider hips will be even more apparent if other girls their age have not started maturing. In cases where the early onset of puberty is linked to adverse childhood experiences, these body changes can make these girls feel even more isolated and unlovable.

Early maturation makes girls vulnerable. They are more likely to smoke, develop an eating disorder, use drugs and have older friends. Their developed bodies make them attractive to older boys and even men, often resulting in them dating much earlier than their peers, which then leads to them becoming sexually active at a young age.

Psychological Changes in Puberty

Puberty is a time of great hormonal change. Most people associate this with mood swings, but the impact has more far-reaching consequences. Boys get a surge of androgens (hormones like testosterone) which makes them more aggressive and violent. Girls, on the other hand, get a surge of estrogens (hormones such as estradiol) which makes them more prone to depression and emotionally vulnerable.

These hormonal reactions can increase risk taking behaviour, such as unprotected sex, alcohol or drug abuse. Parental monitoring and control are critical during this difficult stage. However, as we well know, children in dysfunctional or abusive families often do not have these moderating influences, so the dangers inherent in this stage are not mitigated. The result is that these youngsters might make decisions that endanger their health and their future.

It is important to note that there is a biological explanation for these risk-taking behaviours. The prefrontal cortex in the brain is in charge of reasoning, decision making and control. The amygdala, on the other hand, controls emotion. When children start puberty, the amygdala is much more developed than the prefrontal cortex, and of course the younger the child the bigger the gap. This explains why adolescents take more risks than adults – their prefrontal cortex is weaker than the amygdala at this stage in their life.

One of the main implications about the time gap between the development of the amygdala (which peaks between the ages of 14 and 16) and the development of the prefrontal cortex (which continues until the young adult is 25), is that children who are already disadvantaged because of trauma and abuse become even more vulnerable because their body develops way too early, when their reasoning and control is still that of a child.

How to help these children

Young people need support throughout their development and this is particularly important when they are going through puberty. If these children live in dysfunctional families then they are not likely to get the support they need at home, however this does not mean that all is lost.

Support can be found elsewhere. Participating in sports, attending church, drama clubs – these are all places where young people can find the guidance and structure that they need. Role models do not need to be family members. They can be teachers or coaches or even the local librarian. The whole community can come together to help these children.

Adolescents will always be attracted to high intensity activities. They will always be exposed to drugs, sex and alcohol. There is no way to stop this from happening. But what we CAN do as a community is ensure that there are resources for these children to get help and advice. Making available counsellors in schools and increasing the number of clubs and after-school activities have all been found to improve outcomes for young people, and particularly for those from difficult backgrounds.

As they say, it sometimes takes a village to raise a child.

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