How Does Trauma Affect The Social Development Of A Child

Social theory is conceptualized through an individual’s lens, and their observations become perceived as a societal norm (Hoeve et al, 2012). If the child experiences violence, poverty, and trauma as a normal way of living; they are more likely to repeat the same behaviors (Leventhal, 2000). Combining the cognitive, social, and emotional problems associated with attachment deficiencies, children obtain symptoms related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Amatya & Barzman, 2012).

When children experience a traumatic event, not only does it affect their emotions but it can affect many areas of development if not all of them. Equally, health and learning difficulties can also have a less desirable effect on holistic development. By looking at how such factors can affect child development, we can work towards finding a suitable learning method and helping children overcome and recover from their experiences.

It impacts the maturation of specific brain areas at particular ages, the physiological and neuro-endocrinological responses as well as impacting the ability to coordinate cognitions, behaviours and emotional regulation. Therefore, the effect of trauma is different in different developmental stages. Ornitz (1996) has listed critical periods of major structural changes in brain development in accordance with Piaget’s stages of cognitive development. This includes the periods between early childhood (1.5-4 years), late childhood (6-10 years), puberty and mid-adolescence. This ensures that there are widespread implications of trauma in childhood especially in terms of the age at which exposure to trauma occurs as well as the areas of the brain affected. For example, the volume of the brain shows a rapid increase in first two years (Matsuzawa et al., 2001), a time when the development of attachment also takes place. Moreover, this growth is more experience- dependent (Schore, 2001). Children below the age of two also show a greater right brain than left brain

The purpose of this paper is to conduct library research on early childhood trauma and its effects on brain development. This paper will discuss the consequences of early childhood trauma, specifically the manner in which it impacts brain development. Included will be a discussion of What tends to happen to people who experience early childhood trauma. Within the paper will be a description of the consequences of this type of trauma for the urban individual, family, community, or culture. This paper will then identify two of the most effective, evidenced based practice treatment models utilized for survivors of this form of trauma.

The present research is aimed at providing an account of early childhood abuse and its effects on further emotional development. A first focus falls on outlining the psychological stages of emotional development and the notion of emotional response, followed by a thorough analysis of the child abuse spectrum together with effects, both early and belated, of general and most notably socio-emotional nature.

In the immediate, as well as long-term aftermath of exposure to trauma, children are at risk of developing significant emotional and behavior difficulties (CWIG, 2012). The most damaging types of trauma include early physical and sexual abuse, neglect, emotional/psychological abuse, exposure to domestic violence and other forms of child maltreatment (Hoch, 2009). Research has shown that children that are exposed to these types of trauma will experience developmental delays including language and verbal processing. Also, they will have risk of poor physiological and psychosocial functioning, and will be vulnerable to emotional and behavioral dysregulation disorders, thus, leading to an increase risk of poor outcomes including substance abuse, suicidality, teen pregnancy and paternity, criminal activity, and revictimization (Hoch, 2009).

In The Boy Who was Raised as a Dog author Bruce Perry demonstrates how understanding the brain’s inner workings and development can help bring traumatized children from heartbreak to hope, while always balancing that hope with caution. In his book Perry illustrates how empathy is vital to healthy child development. There has been a decrease in the amount of healthy adults involved in a child’s life than in decades before. Families are smaller, teacher to pupil ratio has increased, and so the number of human-to-human interactions where children are being taught and nurtured has suffered. If you are an adult who is involved with children in your daily life, parent, teacher, law enforcement, etc., and you know that a child has been exposed to something that is potentially traumatic the first thing you should be aware of is that not all traumatic events automatically lead to disastrous mental health outcomes. In fact the majority do well, but for these successful outcomes they do need your attention, support, and awareness. What makes children get better following a trauma is connection with other human beings. Connections to people who are kind, patient, present, but not necessarily psychologically insightful, is at the core of a successful therapeutic relationship.

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.

This report outlines the importance of Bion’s container/contained theory and Bowlby’s attachment theory in developing secure relationships. Sadly, abused infants form a disorganised attachment style which causes them as adults to adapt maladaptive parenting skills. This leads to intergenerational transmission of maltreatment. These parents tend to use fight, flight or freeze responses to cope with their traumatic past. However in saying that, if the abused parent has been able to develop a secure attachment with another individual, or access psychotherapy, the parent can learn healthy parenting behaviours, and is able to break the cycle of intergenerational transmission of trauma being passed on to future generations.

When considering the case of Amarika, core concept one of the NCTSN Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma seems particularly pertinent. It explains that traumatic experiences are inherently complex because they are made up of various traumatic events (The 12 core concepts, 2016). While it is tempting to allow one event to become the main focus, it is important to keep in mind that trauma is multifaceted. When the facts of Amarika’s case are view through the lens of the first core concept, it creates a better awareness of the complexity of her trauma.

Social relationships are defined as relationships developed socially, whether with peers, family, authority figures and human beings, in general, that people have contact with socially. These relationships help to shape a child socially and assist in building their character. These relationships also teaches children to be able to understand how to effectively communicate with their peers. Social relationships also provide children with another avenue of peers to express their deepest emotions with. Social relationships provide children with someone they can trust. In regards to childhood trauma, social relationships can either be affected by it or a coping strategy for it.

Trauma or traumata as described in Rycroft (1995) ‘are experiences which disrupt or pervert development.’ They define it as ‘any unexpected experience which the subject is unable to assimilate.’ Developmental, or as it is sometimes called, complex trauma, is concerned with a child’s prolonged exposure to traumatic events such as, neglect, abuse, abandonment, violence and

There is a need to examine the literature to grasp a better understanding how trauma can impact the development of personality disorders, as well as how people who have personality disorders respond to trauma. However, research on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) comorbidity has usually been retrospective and focused mainly on the prevalence of other primary psychiatric (Axis I) diagnoses and not personality disorders (Axis 2) (according to the DSM-IV), even over ten years later (Dunn, Yanasak, Schillaci, Simotas, Rehm, Souchek, & Hamilton, 2004; Bollinger, Riggs, Blake, & Ruzek, 2000). The purpose of our project is to examine how trauma impacts the development of personality disorders and how individuals with personality disorders respond to trauma. Thus we pose two research questions:

Having a healthy social life and having a healthy mindset are very important for young children because that the first things they have control over. However, their ideas on how to act social or how to be emotionally can be altered just based on the important people who are involved in their life, such as parents. Parents or guardians sometimes over look how their behaviors or social interactions affect their children in the long run. In Strengthening Families: A Guidebook For Early Childhood Programs talks about the red flags that can help identify if a child is being maltreated, neglected or abused as well as ways to prevention methods.