IMPACT OF TRAUMA ON BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 2
Impact of Trauma on Biopsychosocial Development
Introduction
Trauma refers to a deeply disturbing personal experience that affects an individual’s
capacity to overcome a particular incident or situation. It can often lead to hopelessness,
helplessness, and lack of awareness. Trauma is caused by many factors including witnessing an
event that has a substantial impact on the emotional well-being of a person, domestic violence,
death of a loved one, rape, natural disasters such as fires, earthquakes and thunder, severe illness
or injury among other things (Onderko, 2018). Biopsychosocial development relates to
biological, psychological and social factors that determine the growth and development of a
person. This paper will examine the impacts of trauma on biopsychosocial development of
infants and their ability to play.
As postulated by John Bowlby, the attachment theory asserts that human beings tend to
have a natural, lasting psychological connection among themselves. In expounding this theory,
Bowlby investigated the anxiety and distress that children feel when they are separated from
their parents or caregivers. He established a deep enduring emotional bond between children and
their parents and showed that their separation directly affected children’s biopsychosocial
development.
The brain development of children depends on many factors. The environment in which
the young ones grow is significant in preparing and shaping their mental sobriety. A child’s brain
is considered vulnerable and can easily be altered by any slight changes in the immediate
environment. This factor can affect children’s intelligence quotient (IQ) and emotional
intelligence (EQ) (Weber, 2017). Human patterns are molded and shaped in the brain and as
young ones grow and get acquainted with their environment, which implies that the more time
children stay exposed to a particular circumstance, the more their brain absorbs the details of the
phenomenon and the longer it will remain embedded in their mind.
The influence of trauma on biopsychosocial development of children and their ability to
play depends on the magnitude of the event that the child was exposed to. Situations with a
strong emotional attachment such as rape, violence, and accidents tend to cause more harm to the
brain development of the child than any other (Onderko, 2018). Such events remain glued in
their minds for a long time and reduce their ability to think critically and analytically about
issues. They develop fear, and their minds become fixed on specific issues. This aspect
influences the behavioral characteristics of the young ones as well. They become dull and would
not wish to interact freely and play with others.
As the attachment theory contends, infants cannot easily survive without having someone
whom they can rely on as some form of attachment. Weber (2017) opines that an individual’s
biological success is grounded upon the brain being functional in three main perspectives.
Firstly, the brain needs to survive; secondly, it needs to reproduce, and thirdly, it requires a
connection for its development when it is young. These three facets of the human brain are based
on people’s ability to form and maintain relationships which make human beings social
creatures. The relationships that children develop as they grow up play a fundamental role in
