Trauma In Children

Surveys reveal that more than 25 percent of American youth experience a serious traumatic event by their 16th birthday, and many children suffer multiple and repeated trauma.  

Traumatic stress can interfere with children's ability to concentrate and learn, and seriously delay development of their brains and bodies. It can lead to depression, substance abuse and other mental health problems, educational impairment and other difficulties.

Treatment from a mental health professional who has training and experience working with traumatized children can reduce child traumatic stress and minimize physical, emotional and social problems.

Common sources of trauma include: being victims of abuse and neglect; experiencing serious accidental injury; surviving disasters and terrorism; experiencing or witnessing violence in neighborhoods, schools and homes; and receiving treatment for life-threatening illness. More information on sources of childhood trauma can be found below.
 
Think your child is suffering from trauma?
Get help. Contact us at 713-730-2335 or info@depelchin.org.

Sources of Trauma in Children

Sexual maltreatment/assault

• Actual or attempted sexual contact and/or exposure to age-inappropriate sexual material or environments by an adult to a minor child
• Sexual exploitation of a minor child by an adult for the sexual gratification or financial benefit of the perpetrator
• Unwanted or coercive sexual contact or exposure between two or more minors

Physical maltreatment/assault

• Actual or attempted infliction of physical pain by an adult, another child, or group of children to a minor child with or without use of an object or weapon and including use of severe corporal punishment.
• Does not include rough and tumble play or developmentally normative fighting between siblings or peers of similar age and physical capacity

Psychological maltreatment

• Acts of commission against a minor child, other than physical or sexual abuse, that caused or could have caused conduct, cognitive, affective or other mental disturbance.  These acts include:
  • Verbal abuse  (insults, debasement, threats of violence)
  • Emotional abuse (bullying; terrorizing; coercive control)
  • Excessive demands on a child’s performance (scholastic, athletic, musical, Pageantry) that may lead to negative self-image and disturbed behavior
• Acts of omission against a minor child that caused or could have caused conduct, cognitive, affective or other mental disturbance.  These acts include:
  • Emotional neglect (shunning, withdrawal of love)

Domestic violence

• Exposure to emotional abuse, actual/attempted physical or sexual assault, or aggressive control perpetrated between a parent/caretaker and another adult in the child victim’s home environment
• Exposure to any of the above acts of perpetrated by an adolescent against one or more adults in the child victim’s home environment

Neglect

• Failure by the child victim’s caretaker(s) to provide needed, age-appropriate care although financially able to do so, or offered financial or other means to do so.  Includes:
  •  Physical neglect
  •  Medical neglect
  •  Educational neglect

Traumatic Loss/Separation

• Death of a parent, primary caretaker or sibling
• Abrupt, unexpected, accidental or premature death or homicide of a close friend, family member, or other close relative
• Abrupt, unexplained and/or indefinite separation from a parent, primary caretaker, or sibling, due to circumstances beyond the child victim’s control

War/terrorism/political violence outside the US

• Exposure to acts of war/terrorism/political violence, including living in a region affected by bombing, shooting, or looting
• Accidents that are a result of terrorist activity outside the US

War/terrorism/political violence inside the US

• Exposure to acts of war/terrorism/political violence, on US soil
• Includes actions of individuals acting in isolation (sniper attacks, school shootings)

Natural/Man-made Disaster

• Major accident or disaster that is an unintentional result of man-made or natural event
• Does NOT include disasters that are intentionally caused

Illness/Medical

• Having a physical illness or experiencing medical procedures that are extremely painful and/or life-threatening
• The event of being told that one has a serious illness
• Examples of illnesses include cancer or AIDS.  Example of medical procedures include changing burn dressing or undergoing chemotherapy
• Does NOT include medical injuries that would otherwise be classified under injury/accident.

Illness/Accident

• Injury or accident such as car accident, house fire, serious playground injury, or accidental fall downstairs
• Does NOT include injury or accident caused at the hands of another 

Think your child is suffering with trauma?
Get help. Contact us at 713-730-2335 or info@depelchin.org.