Adverse childhood experiences and lifelong consequences of trauma among college students in Eldoret town; Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Abstract

Trauma is any psychologically distressing event that an individual undergoes, whether actual or threatened. As children grow up, they are exposed to traumatic experiences, some of which remain unresolved. The myriad traumatic experiences in the childhood developmental process are usually passed on to adulthood. This in turn makes young adults to be vulnerable. The study sought to determine the effect of early childhood traumatic experiences on early adulthood behaviour among college students in Eldoret Town. The study was motivated by the fact that majority of young adults are living in the consequences of their childhood exposure which could either be positive or negative. The specific objectives of the study were; to find out the early traumatic experiences that young adults in Eldoret town went through, to establish the effects of early traumatic incidences on young adults in Eldoret town, to find out the relationship between early traumatic experiences and young adult behavior, and to find out how young adults cope with effects of childhood trauma in Eldoret town. The study was guided by Horowitz‟s Stress Response Theory. The study applied a qualitative research approach and employed the use of interviews and focus group discussions (FGD) for data collection. Purposive sampling was used to identify the primary participants. A sample size of 26 respondents was arrived at through the administration of a Child Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) to identify respondents who had undergone childhood trauma and who were selected to participate in the interview and FGD. Qualitative data analysis using Nvivo Software was adopted to derive valid meanings from explanations and descriptions of data collected from the respondents. The study revealed that young adults in Eldoret town experienced myriad traumatic events in their childhood, especially death and divorce of parents and caregivers. From the findings it was established that unresolved childhood trauma can lead to fear, emotional distress, hopelessness and development of negative self- perceptions as children grow up. Additionally, the findings showed that young adults who had undergone childhood trauma presented aggressiveness, indulged in risky sexual behavior and were involved in substance use and abuse. To counter the effects of childhood trauma, various modes were applied by the young adults, however, there was still the identification with suppression/repression of feelings as a coping mechanism. The study concluded that young adults have experienced early childhood trauma in various capacities which affect their behavioral tendencies, and which they have coped with individually, albeit inadequately. The study recommended that institutions and medical stakeholders organize workshops for young adults who have experienced childhood trauma in order to address the effects arising from the traumatic experiences and focus on providing them with healthy coping skills.