According to studies, at least two-third of adults have experienced at least one adverse childhood event. These traumas have a significant impact on their mental and physical health and well-being throughout their lives.

Here are some ways childhood trauma affects later in life:

Traumatic experiences early in life have a huge impact on our ability to form authentic relationships with others. If our emotional and/or physical needs were not satisfied in childhood, we can possibly develop the so-called "insecure attachment". Usually the cause of this "insecure attachment" is a broken relationship with a parent or primary caregiver. There are a couple of types of "insecure attachment" that occur in different ways in relationships.

An adult who experienced physical or sexual abuse or neglect as a child may have an "insecure avoidant" attachment style. If our behavior pattern is avoidant, non-contact, we have probably decided that we do not need intimacy in relationships. People who have experienced inconsistent parental care often have an "insecure anxious" attachment style: They are clingy and needy in their relationships, fear abandonment, and put others before themselves.

We decide that it is easier to be alone because communicating with others can be difficult for us. We do not avoid other people, but rather we run from our own reaction to what they might say or do.

Perfectionism may be a reaction affected by childhood when "good enough" was not an option. The need to be perfect paralyzes us because of the fear of making mistakes.

 If a childhood trauma has had negative consequences for you too, you should know that it is never too late to look for help.