Stigma imprinting by difficult childhood events has long been speculated about. However, there was a lack of hard, tangible scientific evidence to support this thesis.

A team of psychologists from Brazil, South Africa and the UK decided to analyse metadata obtained from more than 4,000 children from Brazil. They covered the years from birth to the age of 11.

The research, published in the acclaimed The Lancet, indicated that children who experienced trauma before the age of six were more likely to develop anxiety and mental health disorders. It also indicated that nearly 50% of children in this group had an increased risk of developing neurosis. Trauma was understood to include not only violence, but also difficult experiences in the family, such as death or suffering. The analyses show how important it is to react and provide psychological support among the youngest children - because the lack of such support can result in serious problems later in life.