Welcome to part two of a 5-part series about trauma and it’s impact on mind, body, and behavior. Part one can be found here: https://www.mopip.org/blog/2025/05/28/the-impact-of-trauma-on-mind-body-and-behavior/
The Mind: Cognitive and Emotional Impact of Trauma
How Does it Affect Our Cognitions?
Trauma can affect the mind, including our cognitions and emotions, by disrupting our ability to think clearly, regulate feelings, and form healthy perceptions of ourselves and the world around us. After experiencing a traumatic event, people often face cognitive effects such as memory problems, distorted thinking, difficulty concentrating, and intrusive thoughts or flashbacks⁵. Childhood trauma, in particular, has been associated with worse cognitive performance and disruptions in neuroendocrine regulation in adults⁵. For example, a study by Majer and colleagues found that adults who experienced childhood trauma demonstrated significantly worse memory performance, including increased errors in spatial working memory tasks and slower response times in pattern recognition memory tests⁶. The study also found that higher exposure to sexual abuse and physical neglect in childhood was associated with lower achievement scores on standardized assessments in adulthood, even after adjusting for age, sex, education, and income⁶.
How Does it Affect Our Emotions?
Common emotional effects of trauma include difficulties in emotional regulation, hypervigilance (often stemming from a fear of danger), emotional numbness, and deep feelings of shame and guilt. These symptoms can interfere with daily functioning, strain personal and professional relationships, and contribute to feelings of confusion, fear, or disconnection. Over time, if left unaddressed, the cognitive and emotional toll of trauma can significantly impact overall mental health and well-being. For example, Cloitre and colleagues found that people with a history of childhood abuse and interpersonal trauma frequently exhibited significant disturbances in emotional regulation, including heightened shame, chronic guilt, and emotional numbing⁷. These emotional challenges were closely linked to interpersonal difficulties and increased risk for various mental health disorders such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety⁷.
Stay tuned for the next post in this series about the impact of trauma!
Published June 16, 2025. By Gavin C. Newberry, MPH, Data Analyst for Missouri Partners in Prevention.
References
5. Petkus, A. J., Lenze, E. J., Butters, M. A., Twamley, E. W., & Wetherell, J. L. (2018). Childhood trauma is associated with poorer cognitive performance in older adults. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 79(1), 16m11021. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.16m11021
6. Majer, M., Nater, U. M., Lin, J. M. S., Capuron, L., & Reeves, W. C. (2010). Association of childhood trauma with cognitive function in healthy adults: A pilot study. BMC Neurology, 10(1), 61. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2377-10-61
7. Cloitre, M., Miranda, R., Stovall-McClough, K. C., & Han, H. (2005). Beyond PTSD: Emotion regulation and interpersonal problems as predictors of functional impairment in survivors of childhood abuse. Behavior Therapy, 36(2), 119–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(05)80060-7