The Effects of Childhood Stress on Health Across the Lifespan comprises public domain material from the
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Effects of Childhood Stress
on Health Across the Lifespan
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Effects of Childhood Stress on Health Across the Lifespan is a publication
of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Julie L. Gerberding, M.D., M.P.H., Director
Coordinating Center for Environmental
Health and Injury Prevention
Henry Falk, M.D., M.P.H., Director
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
Ileana Arias, Ph.D., Director
Division of Violence Prevention
W. Rodney Hammond, Ph.D., Director
Authors
Jennifer S. Middlebrooks, M.S.W., M.P.H.
Natalie C. Audage, M.P.H.
Suggested citation: Middlebrooks JS, Audage NC. The Effects of Childhood
Stress on Health Across the Lifespan. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; 2008.
The Effects of Childhood Stress on
Health across the Lifespan
Stress is an inevitable part of life. Human beings experience stress early,
even before they are born. A certain amount of stress is normal and necessary
for survival. Stress helps children develop the skills they need to cope
with and adapt to new and potentially threatening situations throughout
life. Support from parents and/or other concerned caregivers is necessary
for children to learn how to respond to stress in a physically and emotionally
healthy manner.
The beneficial aspects of stress diminish when it is severe enough to overwhelm
a child?s ability to cope effectively. Intensive and prolonged stress
can lead to a variety of short- and long-term negative health effects.
It can disrupt early brain development and compromise functioning of the
nervous and immune systems. In addition, childhood stress can lead
to health problems later in life including alcoholism, depression, eating
disorders, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases.
The purpose of this publication is to summarize the research on childhood
stress and its implications for adult health and well-being. Of particular
interest is the stress caused by child abuse, neglect, and repeated exposure
to intimate partner violence (IPV). We hope this publication provides
practitioners, especially those working in violence prevention, with ideas
about how to incorporate this information into their work.
Types of Stress
Following are descriptions of the three types of stress that The National
Scientific Council on the Developing Child has identified based on available
research:1
Positive stress results from adverse experiences that are short-lived.
Children may encounter positive stress when they attend a new daycare,
get a shot, meet new people, or have a toy taken away from them. This
type of stress causes minor physiological changes including an increase
in heart rate and changes in hormone levels. With the support of caring
adults, children can learn how to manage and overcome positive stress.
This type of stress is considered normal and coping with it is an important
part of the development process.
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