Children and Trauma: What Can You Do?

CHILDREN AND TRAUMA: What can you do?
Child traumatic stress refers to the physical and emotional responses of a child to events that threaten the life or physical safety of the child or someone close to them (such as a parent or sibling). These events can overwhelm the child’s ability to cope, leading to “big” behaviors and intense feelings of terror, grief, and helplessness.

A child’s response to a trauma impacts their perception of self, the world, and the future. The child may have difficulty trusting others, feeling safe, and navigating daily and long-term transitions.

Types of trauma:

• acute – response to a single event
• chronic – multiple, varied experiences
• complex – responses to multiple interpersonal traumatic events from a young age.

An individual child’s response to trauma depends on many factors including age and developmental stage, past experiences, status as a victim or witness, and the presence of protective adults. Children and youth who have experienced foster care, kinship care or adoption may be more likely to be negatively impacted by traumatic stress.

Key symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder include:

• Re-experiencing trauma through flashbacks or nightmares
• Avoidance of reminders, people, or places connected to the trauma
• Emotional numbing, withdrawal, or loss of interest in activities
• Hyperarousal including sleep problems, irritability, and difficulty concentrating

To support a child who has experienced trauma, a caregiver can:

• Consider how one’s knowledge, experience, and cultural frame may influence perceptions of traumatic experiences, their impact, and interventions.
• Utilize resources the family trusts to supplement available services.
• Recognize that trauma is common among children in the mental health system.
• Recognize the signs and symptoms of child traumatic stress.
• Recognize that “bad” behavior is sometimes an adaptation to trauma.
• Understand the impact of trauma on different developmental domains.

Trauma-informed care can benefit children and youth. Caregivers can recognize the impact of the trauma; help the child to feel safe; help the child to understand, name, and manage overwhelming emotions; understand, accommodate, and positively address challenging behaviors; help the child focus on their strengths; be an advocate for the child; and take care of themselves.