Traumatic Experience and Life-Events: The Burden on Physical Health

The burden of psychological factors on different disorders and diseases is far from understood, and the majority of evidence is related to a state of co-morbidity with anxiety and depression, often labelled as “psychological distress.” The Adverse Childhood Experiences study found evidence that adverse childhood experiences burden a person’s health and mental status. The role of childhood traumas (e.g., childhood physical and sexual abuse) has been linked to many medical disorders in adults (e.g., chronic pain, irritable bowel disorders). These traumatic/adverse life-events have also been linked to neurological disorders, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, autoimmune, skin, and neoplastic disorders. Unfortunately, evidence is sparse, and the role of mediating factors (e.g., personality), causative mechanisms (e.g., allostatic overload), and developmental trajectories (e.g., insecure attachment) driving medical disorders should be better analyzed by ad hoc studies.

We call for papers addressing the role of trauma and/or stressful life-events related to physical diseases or disorders both in childhood/adolescence and adulthood. We welcome systematic reviews and meta-analyses as well, because evidence on the role of traumatic/adverse life-events is often sparse in scientific literature. Sometimes, studies on the role of psychological factors in medical disorders come from medical fields and a psychological view may provide different perspectives and conclusions. This topic is also important for planning psychological interventions beginning at the earliest ages and for exploring perspectives of public policy (primary and secondary prevention programs).