Child Trauma Research Paper

Sixty percent of adults report experiencing abuse or other difficult family circumstances during childhood. (Mental Health Connection, N.D.). This shocking statistic exemplifies the high prevalence of childhood trauma. Furthermore, twenty-six percent of children in the United States will witness or experience a traumatic event before the age of four. (Mental Health Connection, N.D.) Trauma is an extremely common and complex phenomenon. But what is trauma? According to Merriam Webster, trauma is defined as, “a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury.” (Merriam Webster, 2017). Dr. Lenore C. Terr from the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of America further describes trauma as unique to each individual. It can be caused by a series of events or one severe incident. Unfortunately, childhood trauma is usually experienced repeatedly. For example, many children endure sexual abuse, bullying, and severe family problems over and over again. Children may experience a variety of traumas that have lasting consequences on their mental health. Those who experience childhood trauma are more likely to develop psychological disorders. This occurs because their brains lack neuroplasticity, which inhibits their ability to adapt to various stressful circumstances.

When a child experiences emotional abuse, the wounds run skin deep. Kids who suffer repeated trauma feel lonely, scared, worthless and unloved, which is exactly the opposite of how children should feel. Abused children often become broken, hollow and bitter, with mental consequences that last long after the physical wounds have healed. The emotional stress it puts on children is tremendous.

deal with it in a way that works for them. To refer to the “Myths of

Childhood trauma contributes to the development of disorders later in life. Several psychological disorders may be caused by childhood trauma. These disorders may include: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, addiction, borderline personality disorder, and dissociative identity disorder.

Trauma occurs when a child has experienced an event that threatens or causes harm to her emotional and physical well-being. Events can include war, terrorism, natural disasters, but the most common and harmful to a child’s psychosocial well-being are those such as domestic violence, neglect, physical and sexual abuse, maltreatment, and witnessing a traumatic event. While some children may experience a traumatic event and go on to develop normally, many children have long lasting implications into adulthood.

There are significant signs of psychological trauma due to any kind of abuse. Children experience feelings of low self esteem and depression. Many exhibit behavioral problems including aggression towards other children. Other emotional problems include hostility, fear, humiliation and the inability to express feelings. The social impacts of physical abuse include inability to form relationships, poor social skills, poor cognitive language skills, distrust of others, over-compliance with authority figures, and tendency to solve interpersonal problems with aggression. (2008, p. 1). Verbal and physical abuse has a cumulative impact on children’s socialization. Abused children are caught in damaged relationships and are not socialized in positive, supportive way (Craig & Dunn, Ex.: 2010, p. 196). They learn defiance, manipulation and other problem behaviors that are used to escape any maltreatment. In turn they will learn to exploit, degrade and terrorize.

Your introduction is very engaging and emphasizes the important role of communication after experiencing trauma. I believe your topic is very relatable because there is a sense of denial, seclusion, and dissociation that correlates with trauma and loss that many of us have experienced. Open communication within a family unit provides opportunities to express thoughts and feelings and develop appropriate coping strategies (Zambianchi & Bitti, 2014). In your intro you stated, "The impact childhood trauma has on our society and on children." As a suggestion, maybe you could expand on this statement or state specific impacts childhood trauma has on our society or on children. I love your examples of evidenced based interventions and how

Family violence is always disheartening. Childhood sexual abuse is by far the worse. There are many forms of childhood sexual abuse. The sexual abuse can involve seduction by a beloved relative or it can be a violent act committed by a stranger. Childhood sexual trauma causes psychological, interpersonal, and behavioral. This paper will show a first account of the impact of childhood trauma.

After interviewing with Elizabeth Domingos-Shepard, MFT, I was able to gain a better understanding of the impact trauma has on a child, physically, biologically, and emotionally. Elizabeth (2016) explained that trauma can alter the chemistry of one’s brain by stating, “There is evidence in research that the brain actually is affected by trauma. It can alter the develop of the brain during significant periods of growth, particularly in the first years of life as well as in adolescence. For example, in cases of severe neglect, the brain doesn 't grow as the rate it should due to lack of exposure to appropriate stimuli. However, with early intervention, the child can potentially catch up in brain development. This is due to the concept of neuroplasticity.” The actual removal of children from their caretaker can, “be as impactful or more impactful that the reason why they were re moved to begin with (abuse or neglect) (Domingos-Shepard, 2016). Elizabeth (2016) stresses the importance of assessment when dealing with a child who has experienced any trauma and that assessment is always ongoing. In details to how trauma impacts a child cognitively, physically, and emotionally, Elizabeth (2016) informs that children who have experienced abuse and/or neglect, may have a single incident of trauma or multiple incidents with they may experience a number of emotional, cognitive or physical consequences of trauma, such as brain development delays, development of an insecure attachment

If a survivor of child sexual abuse has not been in therapy or been helped along the way to cope with their abuse history, there is a range of effects that stem from the abuse. Depending upon each individual survivor’s trauma history, different mental illnesses can manifest. The mental illnesses could range from anxiety to personality disorders depending on factors such as severity and frequency of abuse.

Childhood trauma is one of the most heartbreaking situations to ever fathom happening. Childhood trauma includes neglect, maltreatment, physical and emotional abuse, and many other forms of mistreatment amongst children. Childhood trauma occurs between the ages of 0 and 6 years of age. When referencing to childhood trauma, one must take thought into who commits the abuse, who is affected by the abuse, and what long term effects can the abuse have on the victims. One must also take into consideration the sex differences when referring to childhood trauma. Numerous of studies have been conducted and many findings have been made. Prior to conducting this research paper, I only considered childhood trauma to be what it was and never considered the long term effects. Because of my assumption, I never even considered the other categories of the trauma.

Implications of childhood sexual abuse are extensive and pervasive (Firestone, Firestone, & Catlett, 2006). Many of survivors’ experience parallels survivors of other types of trauma. Therefore, this paper first reviews a brief overview of trauma responses. In addition, implications of abuse on sexual development, function, and relationships are discussed with emphases on objectification of victims, repercussions of abuse, relations between severity of abuse and subsequent sexual function, stigmatization, and internalization. Lastly, this author briefly discusses some considerations for treatment for survivors.

179). Marsh (2008) further reports that people who are exposed to severe trauma and PTSD symptomatology further exacerbate their mental health with other co-occuring psychological disorders, particularly depression. Children who have been sexually abused suffer psychological and emotional consequences at the time it occurs and when they reach adolescence (Geldard, Geldard, & Foo, 2015). Van der Kolk (2001) highlights depression, self hatred, dissociation, suicidal ideation and relationship problems as common psychological symptoms (cited in Marsh, 2008). Widon (1994) asserts that ‘sexual victimization prior to adolescence contributes to the risk of delinquency in young people’ (cited in Geldard & Geldard, 2014, pp.24). According to Alexander and Kempe (1984) the most serious type of sexual abuse is ‘incest between father and daughter’ (cited in Geldard & Geldard, 2014, pp. 25). Studies show that victims are reluctant to divulge their childhood sexual abuse (Read, Hammersley, & Rudegair,

There are many types of trauma that can effect an adolescent and without the proper treatment of the traumatic event the adolescent can have difficulty adapting and developing into adulthood. Kathleen J. Moroz, of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, defines trauma as a physical or psychological threat or assault to a child’s physical integrity, sense of self, safety of survival or to the physical safety of another person significant to the child. She goes on to list the types of trauma a child may be exposed to. Abuse of every kind, domestic violence, natural disasters, abandonment, serious illness or an accident are just a few traumatic events that can effect the development of a child. (2) When these events occur as an acute event

Sexual abuse could post traumatic stress disorder making the victim feel hopeless. The ideal of the person being sexually abuse leads to stress feeling as they have to upset someone. Often the person will have the image in their head thinking about it over and over again but these reactions are normal. One of the symptoms of experiencing the traumatic event having any kind of physical touch with any one reminds them of the bad experience. Some of the symptoms are very different from children and adults. A secondary trauma is when the victim seeks professional help but leads to blaming the victim. " The US National survey estimates Americans to be 7.8 of PTSD" and for women who have been sexually abuse is 50 percent.