Parenting a Child With Psychological Trauma

Childhood psychological trauma is most often the result of an overwhelmingly stressful experience that is more than the child can cope with. It can be caused by anything that disrupts his or her sense of safety and causes them to feel helpless and afraid. This may include witnessing or experiencing a life-threatening event such as a natural disaster, car accident, neighborhood crime, or the sudden death of a loved one.

Although psychological trauma often results from what is perceived as a life-threatening incident, it is the person’s subjective experience of it rather than the actual circumstances that determine whether it is perceived as traumatic or not.

The more shocked and helpless it makes the child feel, the more likely they are to be traumatized by it. A child’s young mind can be more easily traumatized, due to their limited understanding and inadequate processing skills, than that of an older, more mature person.

Common Causes of Childhood Psychological Trauma

Some of the most common causes of childhood psychological trauma include being separated from a parent or primary caregiver, neglect, unexpected death of a loved one, living in an unstable or unsafe environment, change of residence or school, chronic illness, intrusive medical procedures, being subjected to or witnessing domestic violence or an act of community violence such as a drive-by shooting or a fight at school.

Signs Your Child May Be Suffering from Psychological Trauma

The following are some common reactions exhibited by children suffering from psychological trauma. These can fluctuate over time.

Ongoing emotional upset Your child may appear to be hypervigilant, edgy, easily startled, and experience intense emotions such as anxiety, fear, and depression.

Regression Your child may regress to an earlier stage of life when he or she felt safer. They may, for instance, start wetting their bed after having learned how to use the toilet, forget how to talk or use baby talk, cry a lot, be unusually clingy, suck their thumb, or want a bottle.

Thinking they did something wrong Your child may think he or she is to blame and that the event happened because they did something wrong.

Disturbed sleep Your child may have trouble falling asleep, wake up frequently, or have bad dreams or nightmares.

Physical symptoms Your child may experience physical symptoms such as loss of appetite, unexplained aches and pains, and/or a racing heart.

Reenactments Your child may repeatedly act out the scary experience or parts of it during play.

Avoidance Your child may persistently try to avoid anything associated with the trauma or that triggers distressing memories of it.

Helping Your Child Recover

Help your child process the trauma Encourage your child to talk about the experience and process their feelings out loud, or by drawing pictures about it. Take their reactions seriously. Be patient with them, and respond in an understanding, empathetic way. Let your child know that it is normal to feel scared and upset and assure them that they are not to blame for the event.

Help increase your child’s sense of stability and control You can help increase your child’s sense of control by letting them make some decisions such as choosing a meal or picking out what they want to wear. You can also increase their sense of stability by establishing daily routines such as regular bedtime and mealtime, reading bedtime stories, and playing games.

Christian Counseling for Children in Irvine, CA

If you have questions about this article on parenting a child with psychological trauma or need more help than what it could provide, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at Irvine Christian Counseling in California.