Free childhood trauma test

Do you feel like what transpired in your childhood has transformed your current development? Do you keep asking yourself, "Do I have childhood trauma?" Your existing coping mechanisms, responses to painful experiences, and even attachment and professional styles are often connected to what you faced as a kid. We are composed of many factors, and childhood is usually the foundation that leads to everything else. Just like the roots of a plant affect how it grows, our experiences with the world shape us into who we are.

But hey, you don't have to cling to the past trauma — you get a chance to grow and leave the mental health issues behind. Understanding how your childhood trauma affects your today's version of you is the first step toward healing, and our Childhood Trauma Quiz can help you with that.

What is a childhood trauma test?

Our free childhood trauma test examines your current behaviors that stop you from living fully and connects these to the possible painful experiences you had. In line with the trauma test Breeze and BetterMe trauma test, Liven's Childhood Trauma Test explores how the you of today was impacted by things like adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that can range from emotional and physical abuse to neglect.

The numbers speak for themselves on the topic of childhood trauma & mental health issues: up to 64% of the U.S. population had at least one ACE (adverse childhood experience). Among these, both male and female victims faced emotional (35% and 34%), physical (19% and 18%), sexual (7% and 17%), and substance abuse (27% and 29%) most often; plus, a lot of children suffered from parents living apart (both 28%). UNICEF gives a few devastating facts about childhood abuse worldwide. Globally, a child dies every 4 minutes due to violence. 1 in 5 women today experienced childhood sexual violence; among men, these numbers are 1 in 7.

As you can see, the reality of painful experiences in childhood is diverse but undeniable, and they leave their mark on the mental and physical health of a person. And so, childhood trauma tests can be useful to help you understand what you went through and how it affects you today.

Briefly about this childhood trauma quiz

Our childhood trauma quiz features a mix of questions that inquire about your behaviors and habits. You will be responding to questions about your views about yourself and others, and how you imagine your future. Then, you'll focus on your past, including the possible ACEs. Don't worry, it won't take much time, and the results will give you an insight into your mind.

After you go through the childhood trauma test free, you'll get results about your current mental state and the emotional pain you experience. Liven will provide you with results about the type of crisis you are currently facing and how uncertain you are about the things around you. Aside from that, this trauma test will include the specific trigger that caused your crisis and highlight the most common coping strategy you've developed.

The test results will give you a clear picture of your current state and help you understand how your past experiences affect your present and how you can move forward. The test is not a diagnosis, but it can help you gain clarity on your current state and begin your journey towards emotional freedom.

Why does this matter? When you dive into the Whys and Hows about your childhood trauma, you:

• Get a neatly broken-down explanation of your behaviors




• See where you're in your own journey




• Have a glimpse into what trauma affected you




• Connect to your own needs and struggles

And, most importantly:

• Start your healing journey.

Our childhood trauma test for adults encourages you to finally shed the passivity and become brave. You deserve to know yourself.

Symptoms of childhood trauma

Is this inner trauma test even necessary for you? The short answer is that it never hurts to conduct regular self-assessments, and this childhood trauma quiz doesn't require anything but honesty and self-awareness.

But if you want to be persuaded even more, here are some common symptoms of childhood trauma. Don't use this as a diagnostic tool; it's just a chance to get an evaluation for reference.

You've got psychiatric disorders. While it's not a 100% correlation, the recent study from the National Institute of Health shows that there's a certain link. A lot of young adults with childhood trauma have anxiety, depression, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental health conditions. Unfortunately, many people develop an increased risk of being susceptible to such issues because of their childhoods.

You cannot manage intense emotions. Whether you tend to cry or shut down, the lack of control over your feelings can be another sign. Kids don't know how to respond to painful events, so their emotional regulation does a 180 after a childhood trauma. Some even engage in self-harm or other self-destructive behaviors.

You struggle with flashbacks. Some people carry the memories of adverse childhood experiences even when they grow up. It shouldn't be outright dangerous or cruel to leave its mark, but your emotional well-being is clearly damaged and pulls you back.

You have regular intrusive thoughts. You keep thinking about that childhood trauma over and over again, even if the troubles or conflicts you face aren't that serious. This rumination is common among childhood trauma survivors.

Your self-esteem is low. If you're among those people who cannot be more confident no matter how hard they try, it can be caused by childhood trauma. A low sense of self-worth shows that something in how you see yourself was damaged.

You've developed unhealthy attachment styles. We should all strive for a secure attachment style, but that's often just a distant dream for those with severe childhood trauma. Most of those who have experienced childhood trauma tend to have avoidant or anxious attachment styles.

You are always on guard. This one's probably not surprising at all, aside from the psychological symptoms we've mentioned earlier. Do you look around all the time, never taking the new or slightly risky paths? Do you try to find the most secure spot in the room during meetings?

You can have all of these and still not have childhood trauma. Everyone's experiences are different. But our adverse childhood experiences test is easy to take, and you don't have to spend time getting your results.

Where does childhood trauma come from?

There are plenty of adverse childhood experiences that cause childhood trauma. Some of them are pretty rough, while others can seem insignificant at first glance. Don't minimize your past, even if it just feels "a bit unpleasant."

Physical and emotional abuse

As you've read earlier, this is pretty common. Most often, parents or caregivers are the ones who hurt the children in their care and cause them to suffer from childhood trauma. A lot of people still support corporal punishment, while others view verbal abuse or taking affection away as adequate responses to small missteps. Sadly, domestic violence is widespread and affects children of all ages.

Neglect

Neglect causes a lot of traumatic memories, too. Children who were forgotten or didn't have the proper resources to grow safely can develop unhealthy behaviors that don't go away even in adulthood. Some kids didn't have enough food or clothes; others didn't see their parents for days, left to fend for themselves. Emotional neglect, as well as the physical one, can be harmful and lead to unresolved trauma and emotional numbness.

Dysfunctional household

The consequences of childhood trauma don't always come from the direct abuse. If a child's family dynamic was unhealthy — parental substance abuse, constant arguing, or intimate partner violence — they didn't have a safe place where it was most needed.

Bullying or isolation

Bullying is another common contributor to a traumatic childhood. Many kids are bullied at school or in peer groups, which damages their self-esteem. In other situations, they just don't have access to anyone to talk to — this impacts their social skills.

Dangerous event

Even children go through such tragic situations as disasters or violence. Some witness social or political unrests, community violence, while others live in unstable climates that increase the likelihood of them suffering from natural disasters.

Problematic external environment

Did you live in a bad neighborhood that always had something troubling going on? Did you move a lot? It's not just your home that needs to be stable and pleasant — it's also the microcosms around you.

All of the above are the traumatic events not only for your mental wellbeing; they can have negative health outcomes on the physical level, too. Serious illnesses might take place if you neglect the chance to work your traumatic experience through. Hence, you have to find a suiting method as soon as you can.

Coping strategies for adverse childhood experiences

Things like childhood trauma can't be fixed with a fast band-aid. To heal from trauma and develop new coping skills, you'll need to do and change a lot. Here's just a brief list:

• Using professional support.

  Some things can be worked through on your own, but trauma is something that often needs someone else's involvement, too. Consider getting help from a mental health professional.




• Learning about the mechanisms influencing you.

  You cannot repair something if you don't know how it's broken, so educating yourself is essential.




• Finding new strategies.

  Replace your old habits with the new, healthier ones. Some things that used to give you short-term relief aren't always sustainable, so why not find something that actually works for your mental health?




• Reaching out to those you love.

  As a kid, you didn't have someone to rely on when you needed it. Now you can reach out to those with whom you have close relationships (a friend or a family member) and ask them to be there for you. Remember: self-compassion is the first step toward your well-being.

Summary

Our free childhood trauma test is a quick and accessible way for you to gain insight into the connection between your past and present. Use your result to start the first steps toward healing — it'll help you narrow down your focus to address the things that make the most sense. Whether you'll continue growing in your present life with the help of a licensed mental health professional or in other ways in your trauma recovery process, you can get through this.

Your past hurt you, that's quite likely. However, don't let the past traumatic events shape you now. Look at it from the perspective of the adult and powerful you. The knowledge is power, and you've just gained it back. Use this screening tool to grow further.