Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

What this medical student learned after working with foster children

Natalia Birgisson
Conditions
May 9, 2017
33 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

During my two years off from medical school, I’ve been volunteering as a court appointed special advocate for children in the foster care system. And I’ve spent a lot of time reading about how these kids’ experiences could affect the rest of their lives.

The seminal research on this happened in the late 1990s using data from more 17,000 Kaiser patients. What the researchers found was that patients who reported more adverse childhood experiences were more likely to suffer from such long-term medical conditions as heart disease, liver disease, stroke, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — diseases that no one thought were related to childhood abuse or neglect. These same patients were also at higher risk of depression, financial stress, smoking, and suicide. As I read this research, I kept thinking: What’s the link? And what can we do?

Those in the field have come up with a list of ten adverse childhood experiences (including such things as emotional abuse and neglect, physical abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, and mental illness in the household), and according to the research, the more of these that a child is exposed to, the more impairment that they’ll sustain in their social, emotional and cognitive development. More studies are needed, but researchers think the way this happens on a biological level is that the stress response system gets up-regulated. This means that the child’s body responds to any small stress as though it is a big stress, and the child goes about his or her day unable to concentrate, relax or feel safe.

The next step is that these children grow into adults that are more likely to adopt high-risk behaviors. Again, more research is needed, but so far our understanding is that children who grow up learning that they deserve to be treated poorly carry that into their behavior as adults. It doesn’t mean that they choose to hurt themselves but rather that they find themselves in situations that may not be safe. For example, a child who grows up in a traumatic home may run away from home as a teenager, end up sleeping in a dark alley and get gang raped.

The adults that these children have grown up to become are now more likely to have long-term medical illnesses, disability, and social problems. This link is clear in the research and well understood. And the next step is that people with multiple medical problems tend to suffer from an early death.

So what can we do?

A recent review of the literature identified things that patients and health-care providers can do to help. Aside from prevention, which is an area I work in as a court-appointed special advocate, all is not lost for adults who grew up with difficult lives. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to be the most effective tool to help these adults. Other tools that can help are expressive writing and mindfulness based meditation.

The good news is that healing can occur. People who have experienced trauma can recover their ability to relax and feel safe when they have repeated positive experiences. This could be by building up their confidence in themselves with playing musical instruments or sports, or it can be by building their confidence in other people. Repeatedly having positive interactions with classmates, co-workers or neighbors can be processed by the brain as evidence of the goodness in the world.

After working with foster children for two years, I believe more than ever in our ability to heal. And I feel hopeful that the children I’ve worked with can grow up to be functional adults with meaningful, fulfilling lives.

Natalia Birgisson is a medical student who blogs at Scope, where this article originally appeared.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

3 communication mistakes doctors make. And how to fix them.

May 8, 2017 Kevin 2
…
Next

"Are you in ISIS?" my patient asked

May 9, 2017 Kevin 20
…

Tagged as: Psychiatry

Post navigation

< Previous Post
3 communication mistakes doctors make. And how to fix them.
Next Post >
"Are you in ISIS?" my patient asked

More by Natalia Birgisson

  • Scenes from a medical student’s rotation in psychiatry

    Natalia Birgisson
  • In medical school, not all gunners are created equal

    Natalia Birgisson
  • Doctors will inevitably make mistakes because they are also human

    Natalia Birgisson

Related Posts

  • What this medical student learned from running a marathon

    Shoshana Weiner
  • What this medical student learned as a legal extern

    Ton La, Jr., MD, JD
  • What inspires this medical student

    Jamie Katuna
  • A medical student after an OB/GYN rotation: Here’s what he learned

    Nathaniel Fleming
  • What this physician learned by helping a medical student write a personal statement

    Bruce Campbell, MD
  • A medical student’s first code. Here’s what he learned.

    Timothy S. Kelly

More in Conditions

  • Misinformed claims and the offensiveness of discrediting COVID-19 vaccine development

    Angel Garcia Otano, MD
  • Family support is pivotal in the treatment of schizophrenia

    Frank Chen, MD
  • Exploring disfigurement and self-worth

    Kathleen Watt
  • Are we doing enough to help chronic pain sufferers?

    Adam Strohl, MD
  • Lessons taught by Bell’s palsy

    Alexander Rakowsky, MD
  • Unthinkable choices in childbirth emergencies

    Kim M. Puterbaugh, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling excessive medical billing and greed

      Amol Saxena, DPM, MPH | Policy
    • Misinformed claims and the offensiveness of discrediting COVID-19 vaccine development

      Angel Garcia Otano, MD | Conditions
    • Dying is a selfish business

      Nancie Wiseman Attwater | Conditions
    • Navigating medical decision-making: Embracing limits and growth

      Benjamin Wade Frush, MD | Physician
    • Empathy and compassion in palliative care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Navigating the broken medical system: challenges faced by foreign medical graduates

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • The essence of medicine: genuine connections in practice

      Jennifer Tillman, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Misinformed claims and the offensiveness of discrediting COVID-19 vaccine development

      Angel Garcia Otano, MD | Conditions
    • Bitcoin’s role in diversified portfolios [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • 1 in 5 doctors will become disabled. Are you prepared?

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • The pros and cons of whole life insurance for high-income earners

      Shane Tenny, CFP | Finance
    • Family support is pivotal in the treatment of schizophrenia

      Frank Chen, MD | Conditions
    • Is emergency medicine your calling? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • CDC Advisors Endorse Maternal RSV Vax to Protect Newborns
  • Amoxicillin Alone for Acute Sinusitis Holds Up Against Broad-Spectrum Cousin
  • Despite Taboo, Med Students, Doctors Use Substances Too
  • White House Opens Gun Violence Prevention Office
  • Nurses Step Up to Bat on Educating Patients About Climate Change

Meeting Coverage

  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Want Better Health Outcomes? Check Out What Other Countries Do
  • ERS Roundup: Cell Transplant Boosts Lung Function in COPD Patients
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling excessive medical billing and greed

      Amol Saxena, DPM, MPH | Policy
    • Misinformed claims and the offensiveness of discrediting COVID-19 vaccine development

      Angel Garcia Otano, MD | Conditions
    • Dying is a selfish business

      Nancie Wiseman Attwater | Conditions
    • Navigating medical decision-making: Embracing limits and growth

      Benjamin Wade Frush, MD | Physician
    • Empathy and compassion in palliative care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Navigating the broken medical system: challenges faced by foreign medical graduates

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • The essence of medicine: genuine connections in practice

      Jennifer Tillman, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Misinformed claims and the offensiveness of discrediting COVID-19 vaccine development

      Angel Garcia Otano, MD | Conditions
    • Bitcoin’s role in diversified portfolios [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • 1 in 5 doctors will become disabled. Are you prepared?

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • The pros and cons of whole life insurance for high-income earners

      Shane Tenny, CFP | Finance
    • Family support is pivotal in the treatment of schizophrenia

      Frank Chen, MD | Conditions
    • Is emergency medicine your calling? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...