14 DAY TRIAL // The latest issue of the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin showcases an interesting article about the link between a person's chances of developing schizophrenia later on in life, and the amount and severity of childhood traumas they suffered.
Experts at the University of Liverpool, in the UK, say that those who went through many negative experiences as children are 300 percent more likely to develop the mental disorder than their peers.
For this investigation, scientists analyzed three decades of data surveying this connection. A total of 27,000 research papers were included in the survey. A careful analysis of statistical correlations revealed that suffering traumas before the age of 16 can lead to the development of schizophrenia.
“We need to know […] how childhood trauma affects the developing brain, as well as whether there are genetic factors that increase vulnerability or resilience to traumatic events,” UL Institute of Psychology, Health and Society professor Richard Bentall explains, quoted by PsychCentral.