Understanding the Effects and Severity of Childhood Trauma

A traumatic event is an experience of violence, danger, or intense fear. It scares you; it may threaten your life or be committed against you without your consent. When these types of events happen to a child this type of trauma is identified as childhood trauma.

As you read this article keep in mind that just as a child’s sense of safety depends on the perceived safety of their attachment figures, so if they were to witness events that threaten the physical security of the life of someone they love, they can also experience trauma.

The actual childhood trauma experience will bring about emotions and physical reactions that often last long after the actual event. The inability to protect themselves or the lack of protection from others to avoid experiencing childhood trauma will often make them feel overpowered by their intense emotional and physical response.

The terror, vulnerability, and fear a child may feel are combined with physical reactions which may include loss of bowel or bladder control, vomiting, and a pounding heart.

Dangerous events still happen despite the vigilance of adults to make sure children are safe. In the field of childhood trauma, the danger is split between coming from inside the family or originating from outside the family.

Danger inside the family includes the unexpected passing of a loved one, domestic violence, or physical or sexual abuse. Danger originating from outside the family may be from a natural disaster, car accident, or school shooting.

Childhood trauma may also be experienced through discrimination, prejudice, and racism; substance abuse disorder; traumatic separation; as well as military family-related stressors such as deployment or the injury or loss of a parent.

Everyday effects of childhood trauma.

This experience of childhood trauma often manifests in the child as child traumatic stress where the child has developed a reaction to it that persists and affects their experience of daily life. Typical traumatic reactions include a range of responses, including:

• Aches and pains.
• Changes in behavior.
• Depressive symptoms or anxiety.
• Difficulty sleeping or eating.
• Intense and continuous emotional upset.
• Nightmares.
• Older children may use drugs or alcohol, adopt risky behavior, or unhealthy sexual activity.
• Problems relating to others, including forming attachments.
• Regression or loss of previously acquired skills.
• Struggling to maintain attention and so have trouble with schoolwork.
• Struggling to self-regulate.

Children who are dealing with traumatic stress will display these types of symptoms when they are reminded somehow of the traumatic event. The way an adult and child process trauma is different, and children’s reactions will often interfere with their daily lives and ability to function and interact with others.

Children, including infants and toddlers, can experience traumatic stress and the way it will be displayed will differ for each child depending on, among other things, their age and level of development.

Especially when a child’s experience of trauma is repeated, the events are known to affect the brain and nervous system and increase behaviors that risk their health. Survivors of childhood trauma are often more likely to experience long-term health problems such as diabetes or heart disease or to die at an earlier age.

As the child grows older their traumatic stress experience will likely lead to increased use of health and mental health services as well as increased involvement in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Adults who experienced childhood trauma often struggle to share in a fulfilling relationship and maintain employment.

Protection from the effects.

Traumatic stress is not an automatic outcome of childhood trauma. Protective factors, understood to be the individual and environmental characteristics that are linked to the ability to positively adjust and develop despite being through threatening situations, can decrease the harmful effects of trauma.

Factors that counselors will seek to understand will include how severe the event was, how physically close the child was to the event, the reactions of the caregivers, and whether there is a history of trauma as well as other factors originating from the child’s family and community.

Here are some of the factors to consider:

Severity.

How serious is the physical hurt experienced by the child or the person she loves? Was a hospital visit required? Did the police come? Was the child separated from their caregivers? Did a friend or family member die?

Proximity.

Was the child present at the event? Were they the victim or was it someone they saw? Did the child hear about it from a loved one? Did the child watch it on TV?

Reaction of caregivers.

Did her family believe what she said? How did her caregivers respond to her needs? How did they respond to their own needs?

Help to understand and cope with childhood trauma?

Coming to a deeper understanding of childhood trauma is a significant journey. If you are looking for additional help to deal with childhood trauma and make a good decision regarding possible treatment, browse our online counselor directory or contact our office at Irvine Christian Counseling to schedule an appointment. We would be honored to walk with you on this journey.