2. Individual trauma review
• Trauma experiences are varied for
each person
• Some common denominators, but
influenced by own life experiences,
personality, support and severity of
the trauma
3. Common shared experiences
include:
• Change in perceptions of safety, trust
• Development of anxiety, fears related to trauma experience
• Grief response
Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance
• Some level of symptoms from PTSD criteria
May or may not develop PTSD based on factors previously
reviewed
4. Trauma in children
• Medical
• Some divorce situations
• Witnessing domestic violence
• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
Other trauma experiences may also
occur; these are among the most
common for children
5. Medical trauma
• Severe childhood illness
Cardiac issues, childhood cancers,
accidents, genetic disorders (organ
dysfunction, etc)
Trauma responses may result from
repeated surgical interventions,
intrusive medical procedures,
prolonged hospitalizations away from
parents
6. Parental response can
increase or decrease
children's trauma responses
• Calm, factual information at age
appropriate level is helpful
• Concern and fear are normal parental
reactions, but how those are
expressed greatly impact children's
emotional response.
•
7. • Extreme parental reaction on either
end of spectrum not helpful to child
(too little reaction; hysterical
reaction)
8. Long term impact may
include
• Over or under reaction to subsequent
medical issues (as adult) in both self
and others
• Triggered by hospitals, medical
appointments
• Smells and sounds often a trauma
trigger for children who spent time
in hospital
• Generalized anxiety disorder
9. Divorce and trauma
• Approximately 1 million children each
year affected by divorce US rates)
• Often, children are better off,
however, dealing with a divorce than
having parents who are abusive to their
children or to each other.
• Children are not better off remaining in
a home full of hate, anger and hostility.
10. Divorce
• Some research shows that in marriages
rife with conflict, children do better
dealing with a divorce than the ongoing
stressors of the home environment
11. • Children from divorced parents
consistently score lower on a variety of
emotional, behavioral , health , social
and academic outcomes
• But most do NOT have trauma
responses
• Grief is a normal response – parents
need to help children develop skills to
‘cope’ with grief responses. Children
who learn emotional regulation skills do
12. •Research varies, but most studies show
between 20% and 35% of children affected by
divorce experience trauma directly related to
the divorce (that means 65%-80% don’t
experience trauma)
•Greatest predictor of trauma response is
conflict between parents
•The more conflict; the more children are
affected
13. Common Conflicted areas include:
•Custody battles / lack of access to both
parents
•Loyalty binds
•Disparaging comments about the other
parent
•Lack of co-parent communication
•Money / Child support
•Conflict around pick up and drop off
14. Trauma responses
• Symptoms matching PTSD criteria
• Generalized anxiety
• Safety and security fears
• Fears of abandonment by one or both
parents(prolonged)
• Adult adjustment issues/relationship
difficulty
15. Domestic Violence
• Children who witness IPV at home
often have symptoms consistent with
PTSD both as children and into
adulthood
• Children who witness violence display
similar effects of children who were
physically abused(Carlson,1994)
• Greatest predictor for boys to
become IPV perpetrators is
witnessing violence at home
16. Common reactions for
children in IPV homes
• Attachment issues
• Poor sleeping habits
• Eating problems
• Higher risk of physical injury
• Lack feelings of safety
• Separation/stranger anxiety
• Regressive behaviors
• Insomnia
• Self-blame
• Somatic complaints
• Aggressive behaviors
• Regressive behaviors
• School truancy
• Delinquency
• Substance abuse
• Early sexual activity
• Symptoms consistent with PTSD criteria
17. • Several research studies indicate
children who witness IPV are at
greater risk for internalized
behaviors such as anxiety and
depression, and for externalized
behaviors such as fighting, bullying,
lying, or cheating.
(Wolak and Finkelhor 1998)
18. Sexual Abuse
• Generally accepted statistics are 1 in
4 girls, 1 in 6 boys experience some
sort of sexual abuse as children(some
statistics show 1 in 3 girls, but 1 in 4
most often cited)
• Translates to over 300,000 children
annually
19. •For girls, perpetrator is more often
a family member
•For boys, trusted adult outside of
home or an out of home relative
(uncle, older cousin, etc)
•Many statistics report that in up to
90% of child sexual abuse cases, the
victim knows his/her perpetrator
•In the majority of cases,
perpetrator is a man
20. Familial sexual
abuse(incest)
Family characteristics
• Poor boundaries
• Immature adults
• Conflictual marriage or troubled
divorce
• somber and strict environment
• Rigidity( religiosity)
• Chaotic households
• Low level of appropriate touch
21. Non familial
• Trusted adult
• Ongoing relationship with family or
child
• Inserts self into family
activities/functions
• Abuse typically happens within a long-
term, ongoing relationship between
victim and offender (advocates for
youth.org)
22. • Most experts believe false reports
are rare, revocation is often part of
disclosure
23. • Risk factors
• Protective factors
Response of parents, others greatly
influences development of long-term
effects, development of PTSD or
other psychiatric conditions in
children
24. The Crimes Against Children Research
Center at the University of New
Hampshire recently reported on a
study that indicated 1 in 5 children
are solicited sexually while on the
internet
Most children did not fall victim to
internet solicitation but children who
had previous abuse were more likely
to respond
25. Pornography's relationship
to sexual abuse
• Pornography studies
• Offenders often admit to habitual
use of pornography as part of
offending behavior
• Communicates accepted and desired
behavior
• Normalizes behavior to victim
26. Long term effects of
childhood SA
• Negatively impact long-term
psychological and social well being
• Low self esteem
• Depression, anxiety
• Long term psychiatric diagnoses
(e.g. PTSD, DID, Personality disorders)
• Powerlessness damages coping skills and
reduces ability to self- protect,
increasing risk for re-victimization
27. Summary
• Children who live in extreme stress
from divorce, violence or abuse
suffer long-term consequences
• More severe the trauma, more severe
the consequences
• Once traumatized, more likely to be
re-traumatized
• Victims are not responsible for
trauma
28. • Untreated, cycle continues
• Implications for ability to become
productive members of society
• Implications for generational
progression and own parental
capacity
• Trauma-informed assessments and
appropriate treatment referrals can
have significant positive impact
