Index
The human being is formed by teachings, experiences and experiences throughout his life. Some are not so good, and they can cause deep marks, as is the case of childhood trauma.
What is Trauma
Before we talk about childhood trauma, let’s understand what it is about. Trauma is related to trauma, which means injury or wound produced by a violent action external to the organism that may or may not leave sequelae.
In psychology, trauma is defined by how a person reacts to events. Therefore, trauma to one person may not be trauma to another.
Some people can deal with trauma and get over it quickly . Others, however, may not be able to cope and suffer for a long time.
Childhood Traumas, What Are They?
Childhood traumas generally refer to traumatic experiences that occur in children aged 0 to 12 years and soon after in adolescence.
Because the reactions of babies and young children may be different from that of older children, and because they may not be able to verbalize their reactions to threatening or dangerous events, some people say that young age protects children from the impact of traumatic experiences.
When young children experience or witness a traumatic event, sometimes adults say, “They are too young to understand, so it is better if we don’t say anything about it.” However, children are affected by traumatic events , although they may not understand what happened.
A growing body of research has established that young children, even babies, can be affected by events that threaten their safety or the safety of their parents, and their symptoms have been well documented.
Most Common Childhood Traumas
Since childhood traumas are defined by the child experiencing them, no list can include all causes. The following list, however, will explain some of the most common traumas that children face:
Surgery or serious illness – The child experiences trauma when he is in the hospital because of a serious illness or surgery.
Accidents – The child who suffered an automobile accident, a serious fall, was injured while playing a sport, was burned, or has had another accident
serious that threatens his feeling of security, it can be said that this child experienced a type of childhood trauma.
Constant and intense intimidation – The child is bullied by one or more people over a period of time. Bullies can be classmates, teammates, neighbors, or others in the child’s life. Bullying can start as early as pre-school.
Separation from loved ones – A child may be separated from loved ones due to military service, a divorce, a prison sentence or even the removal of a child from home due to an investigation of abuse or neglect.
Natural disasters – A child is affected by a serious event, such as a hurricane, earthquake, forest fire, flood, etc.
Psychological abuse – Includes a series of non-accidental actions that create fear in a child or that intend to damage his or her dignity and psychological integrity. Examples include threats to abandon a child , threats to harm a child or people or things that the child cares about, scolding, despising or terrorizing a child. Psychological abuse can also include actions such as confining a child (putting it in a closet or strapping it to a chair), physical humiliation (being naked for others) or coercing a child to inflict pain on oneself.
Physical abuse – It is a deliberate assault on a child that leads to injury or risk of injury. Examples include hitting or hitting a child or harsh treatment of a child that can cause injury or damage. The consequences of physical abuse include bruises, scratches, burns, broken bones, lacerations and loss of consciousness. The difference between discipline and physical abuse differs from country to country. However, the Human Rights Secretariat stated that corporal punishment of children is a degrading treatment for children and is prohibited.
Sexual abuse – Occurs when a child is engaged in sexual behavior by an adult or a person who is older than them, with power and authority over them or who is in charge of caring for them. The purpose of the child’s involvement is for the benefit of the adult, whether for pleasure or for financial gain. Since this type of trauma often involves exploiting the child’s confidence, it is sometimes referred to as “betrayal trauma”. The sexual abuse can also occur among children. This sexual activity may include obscene phone calls, drawings, exposure, pornography, prostitution or rape.
Neglect – It is a form of child abuse and is a form of threat to the child through acts of failure to care that threaten the child’s survival. Examples include a parent or caregiver’s failure to provide necessary food, clothing and shelter, leaving a child alone for long periods of time and not providing medical care as needed.
Loss / abandonment – The child loses one or both biological parents through divorce, abandonment, death or other reason.
Isolation within the family – No one in the family seems to love the child or consider the child as important or special. The family does not take care of each other, are close or support each other.
Domestic Violence – Domestic violence is behavior used by a person in a relationship to gain power or control the other. Abuse includes physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats. This includes all behaviors that scare, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, injure, humiliate, blame or injure someone.
Community violence – A child experiences childhood trauma when he or she witnesses violence in the environment in which he / she lives, be it an assault, an aggression from the neighbor, etc. Sometimes a child just needs to hear about violence to experience trauma.
Substance Abuse – Someone in the child’s family abuses alcohol, street drugs or prescription drugs.
Mental illness – Someone in the child’s home is depressed, has another mental illness or has attempted suicide.
Terrorism – A child experiences or hears about terrorism, especially when it happens in a place that the child believes should be safe. She can experience even more traumatic stress if there are children among those who are injured or killed.
Refugee Child – A child has been uprooted from the home, often after suffering violence or an intense fear of harm.
Signs of Childhood Traumas
Children who suffer from some type of trauma tend to show signs of fear and vulnerability . Some common behaviors can indicate childhood trauma for older children, among them are:
Behavioral signs of trauma
- Appetite changes
- Difficulty sleeping
- Difficulty paying attention or focusing
- Headaches
- Increased aggressiveness
- Problems interacting with other children
- Problems at school
- Regressive behaviors (act like they did when they were younger)
- Stomachache
Emotional Signs of Trauma
- Anger or irritability
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Extreme emotional distress
- Inconsolable crying
- Nightmares
- Sadness
- Isolation
Treatment of Childhood Traumas
Today, there are some clear guidelines on how to help children heal from trauma at all ages in their development. Essentially, there are four things you can do to help a child cope with trauma:
Create a safe environment – First, traumatized children need to feel that they are physically and emotionally safe. Make the home where she lives as safe as possible and make sure you create a safe space just for the child inside the home. Make sure she feels safe in your home or school environment as well.
Provide support for adults – In the best of circumstances, children need three caring adults, in addition to their parents, whom they can turn to for comfort, attention and support. These adults must be people who demonstrate through their involvement that the child is fantastic and important. Involve your family members like grandparents, a neighbor, or school professionals to support the child.
Teach them self – control techniques – Traumatized children constantly experience a “fear, struggle or paralysis” reaction to life, as if every moment is dangerous. So, it is important to teach them ways to calm down. First, work with the child to help him recognize and describe his feelings. Then, give the child alternative ways to deal with these feelings when they happen. Simple techniques like counting to ten or breathing deeply and calmly can give you relief.
Develop your strengths – Traumatized children need to feel that they are back in control of their lives and that they can cope and overcome bad events. You need to help them achieve this by reinforcing and praising them for their strengths and positive behaviors.
Consequences of Childhood Traumas
No one can predict how each child will react individually. Studies estimate that up to two thirds of patients undergoing substance use treatment have a children’s history of sexual, emotional or physical abuse.
There is much to overcome with childhood trauma, but help is available, and a thorough understanding of what makes healing difficult can help in the recovery process.
That is why it is so important for parents and caregivers to monitor their children’s behavior and regularly check what is happening in their world.
Long-term effects of trauma
Childhood traumas have the potential to impact a person’s physical, emotional, social and cognitive abilities throughout their life. Some typical long-term effects of untreated childhood trauma include:
- Alcoholism
- Biological and neurological disorders
- Chronic depression and / or anxiety disorders
- Smoke
- Drop out of school
- Drugs abuse
- Early death
- High-risk behaviors (for example, exposure to HIV, sexually transmitted diseases)
- Obesity
- Suicide
The best thing to do in all cases is to always seek help from a specialist, who will indicate the appropriate treatment and provide detailed medical monitoring and specific needs.
See also: Child Violence Destroys Dreams
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
