New research shows that witnessing traumatic events, like domestic violence, shootings, or even fighting, can impact the physical development of our brain — potentially leading to lifelong health and social issues. Continued direct or indirect exposure to traumatic stress and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) activates a child’s “fight or flight” stress response system, causing a release of chemicals and stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol and an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. The more children are exposed to traumatic stress, the more neural connections are created in regions of the brain involving fear, anxiety, and impulsiveness, and under-produced in regions involving reasoning, planning, and behavior control.

The COVID-19 pandemic could inflict long-lasting emotional trauma on an unprecedented global scale leaving millions wrestling with debilitating psychological disorders. This collective trauma has combined mental health stressors that have been studied before in other disasters but have never been consolidated in one global crisis.

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