Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome and Child Development: A Meta-Synthesis

Abstract

Exposure to acute stress and maltreatment during the first forty-eight months of life may result in a chain reaction of chemical and biological changes negatively impacting the growth and development of the brain. Especially affected is the neurohormonal structure of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal or HPA axis, which regulates stress hormones. Corpus callosum, the left neocortex, hippocampus, and amygdala are major brain structures which are adversely affected by chronic acute stress. Psychiatric disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may result from severe stress, neglect and maltreatment especially when acute stress comes about during critical periods of developmental.