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Although we wish we could protect our children from everything, sometimes bad things happen that can traumatize a child. When a child experiences trauma, you may feel lost and not know what to do, but there is help available.
As a parent, your number one priority will always be to keep your child safe in a world where that’s not always an easy thing to do. Despite your best effort, you can’t always be by your child’s side as they navigate growing up. That means there may be a time when your child experiences trauma without you knowing it. Unfortunately, there is also the possibility you or something about your life is the source of your child’s trauma.
When a child has gone through a traumatic event, there is a good chance they are going to experience some loss of their innocence. When that happens, serious problems can arise in the future. For the child, trauma holds the potential of setting them on a path of emotional and psychological problems that could affect them throughout their life. For the parent of a child that suffers from trauma, there’s the pain that comes from watching their child struggle.
What is Childhood Trauma?
As a child develops, they are understandably fragile. They don’t have proper coping skills nor do they always know the difference between right or wrong. They are innocent until someone or something starts stripping their innocence away.
Childhood trauma occurs when a child encounters an event or events that scare them, leaving them with a lasting sense of fear. That fear can manifest itself into a wide range of child emotional and psychological disorders. As you probably already know, living with an emotional or psychological problem will almost always affect the individual’s quality of life. How horrible is it when that happens to a young child before they ever get a chance to experience the joys of childhood?
You must keep in mind that something that creates trauma for one child might not affect other children. Trauma is a very personal thing for children and adults. What is clear about child trauma is usually has one or more of the following characteristics:
Also, children can experience trauma because of something that happens to others. If mom and dad are having difficulties in their relationship, the child might feel the effects of those difficulties. Believe it or not, it’s even possible for a child to suffer trauma while watching a movie. You have to remember they might not yet have the ability to distinguish between fact and fiction.
How Childhood Trauma Affects the Brain
Trauma also affects how the body and brain fiction. As the individual experiences a traumatic event, the brain records the event. At the same time, the traumatic event loses access to the neomammalian brain (neocortex). This is that part of the brain that controls cognitive processing and memory. Instead, the memory locks into the limbic part of the brain, creating a memory loop. When the individual is unable to access the ability to think past the traumatic event, it creates a situation where the individual might have to experience the memories repetitively until they get treatment.
Understanding the Adverse Childhood Experiences Test (ACEs Test)
Now that you have a better outstanding of what is childhood trauma, you might be wondering how the psychiatric community can diagnose emotional/psychological problems that come from trauma. One of the best tools the psychiatric community has for diagnosing trauma and Post Traumatic Syndrome Disorder (PTSD) is the Adverse Childhood Experience test (ACEs Test).
This ten-item questionnaire was the byproduct of the Adverse Childhood Experience study that began in 1985 under the direction of Dr. Vincent Felitti. This particular study, which is ongoing, came about after Dr. Felitti was able to collect data that indicated there was a strong correlation between adult psychosis and child trauma.
The test consists of 10 questions that ask the participant to address things that happened during their childhood. Each yes answer results in one point, and total points become the participant’s ACE score. The ACE score helps identify risk factors that could translate into psychological or emotional problems later in life.
How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime
Without proper treatment, childhood trauma has the potential of adversely affecting the child’s mental and physical health for life. The issues can start early in childhood, often getting worse as the individual moves into adulthood.
When a child experiences a traumatic event, they usually have difficulty processing what they are experiencing. In their minds, they search for ways to protect themselves. Children will often fall victim to compulsive disorders, depression, and anxiety. As they get older, they might become suicidal or attempt to mask their issues with drugs or alcohol.
There is good news. Treatment for trauma is available for children and adults. With evidence-based therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), patients are taught how to cope with their negative thoughts.
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Types of Child Trauma
The potential list of child trauma causes would include anything that could instill fear and insecurity in a child. In an efforts to shorten the list, here are the eight most common causes of child trauma:
If you suspect your child is a victim of trauma, you need to get them help. That also applies to you as an adult if child trauma might have had and adverse effect on your life. By contacting one of Mission Harbor’s, you can start a mental health treatment process that should help resolve your family’s trauma driven issues.
The facilities at Mission Harbor are staffed with trained experts to best assist patients with their mental health issues. We are capable of dealing with any and all cases with a licensed staff, equipment, and approved techniques. Our mission is to help those who want to help themselves, and we support your decision in seeking help.
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