Childhood Emotional Abuse Can Make It Harder to Trust Your Own Body, Can Seriously Affect Mental Health In Later Life

Have you ever felt your stomach drop during a stressful moment, or your heart pound when you’re nervous? That’s your body sending you signals. Being able to notice and understand those signals (like your heartbeat, your breathing, or even your hunger) is a skill called interoception. This internal body awareness helps us regulate our emotions, manage stress, and feel physically well. But scientists are still learning how it works, and what affects it.

A new study by researchers at TU Dresden and FU Berlin has found that children who go through emotional abuse or emotional neglect often grow up struggling to trust their own bodies. This may not sound like a big deal at first, but it can seriously affect mental health later in life.

What the Research Looked At

The research team, led by Prof. Anna-Lena Zietlow, reviewed 17 different studies that included data from more than 3,700 people. They were looking for a connection between childhood maltreatment (which includes physical, sexual, and emotional abuse or neglect) and how well people connect with and understand their own bodily sensations.

There was no strong link between childhood maltreatment and general body awareness. But there was a clear link between emotional abuse or neglect and low body trust—in other words, people who had these experiences as kids were more likely to say they didn’t feel connected to, or able to rely on, their own body’s signals.

Why Body Trust Matters

According to Julia Ditzer, the study’s lead author, this matters because if you don’t trust your body, it can be harder to:

• Manage your emotions
• Understand what you need (like rest, food, or comfort)
• Handle stress

Over time, this disconnection can increase the risk of mental health problems, including:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Somatoform disorders (which are physical symptoms with no clear medical cause, but linked to psychological stress)

One of the key takeaways from the study is that emotional abuse and neglect often go unnoticed, compared to physical or sexual abuse. But their effects can be just as harmful. Dr. Ilka Böhm, a member of the research team, pointed out that emotional harm is less visible. “It doesn’t leave bruises, so it often doesn’t get the attention it deserves,” she said. That’s something the researchers hope to change. Prof. Anna-Lena Zietlow believes that society and professionals (like teachers, doctors, and caregivers) need to put more focus on how children are treated emotionally, not just physically.

“Children need more than just protection from physical violence,” said Prof. Zietlow. “They also need stable, caring emotional support.”

The study suggests that emotional well-being in childhood should be taken much more seriously—both in everyday life and in public health policies. Helping kids feel emotionally safe and supported could be just as important as making sure they’re physically safe.

Source:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-025-00456-w

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