Introduction
The mere mention of trauma raises thoughts towards events that include war, rap, and kidnappings among others. One of the key aspects to note is that trauma experiences may include sudden injury or involvement in an accident, which tend to have negative impacts on the children involved. By understanding these experiences, it becomes much easier in the implementation of effective strategies and measures that would be of value in dealing with such effects. However, one of the key aspects to note is that majority of parents do not understand the extent, with regard to effects, that these experiences may have on the children involved. Consequently, this creates a situation where majority of parents tend to ignore their underlying expectation in ensuring that these children undergo counseling as a way of ensuring that they cope with such experiences effectively.
According to Liotti, Pasquini, & Cirrincione (2000), over 5 million children in the United States find themselves exposed to traumatic experiences annually, which raises the concern with regard to the ability for these children to cope with the overall impacts of such experiences. The main area of concern for health care professionals revolves around whether these children will be in a position to cope with the traumatic experiences effectively. The ability to cope with such events effectively works as a guarantee that these children would not experience any form of negative effects later in life. However, over 70% of these children exposed to traumatic experiences are not well positioned to cope with the underlying effects especially in their transition to adolescents. Thus, this seeks to create some form of challenge with regard to their mental health status while focusing on the impacts that the traumatic experiences may have had on their wellbeing.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Literature Review
A review of different literature, previous research and other sources suggests that traumatic experiences are common during childhood and the early adolescent stage, which, in turn, raises the question on whether these adolescents are able to deal with the ensuing effects. According to Milani, Hoffmann, Fossaluza, Jackowski, & Mello (2017), the source of trauma does not have any form of impact in determining how children or adolescents react to such experiences, as the sources may vary depending on the experience or situation. However, the key concern when focusing on the concept of trauma revolves around the fact that most of the children and adolescents finding themselves exposed to traumatic experiences do not go through any form of mental health care to allow them deal with such experiences. Ultimately, this becomes a key source of concern for majority of mental health care professionals, who tend to argue that the effects on these children would have far reaching impacts on the society as a whole.
According to Frydman & Mayor (2017), trauma can be separated into two distinct types, which are trauma events and process trauma each of which tends to have a negative outcome for the children or adolescents involved. Trauma event refers to a sudden exposure to some form of trauma, which tends to create a shift with regard to the mental capacity for the children involve especially towards changing their attitude towards specific events. For example, in the event that a child or adolescent experiences a hurricane, fire, or accident, that would be considered as a trauma event considering that is arises as a sudden outcome. Svedin, Nilsson, & Lindell (2004) argues that dealing with this type of trauma is somewhat easier considering that the children or adolescents involved tend to change their attitude towards one aspects of their life, which reminds them of the traumatic experience.
In the second type of trauma, process trauma, the children and adolescents involved find themselves exposed to a long-lasting stressor, which may act as one of the key elements that contributes to their trauma. Sweatt, Harding, Knight-Lynn, Rasheed, & Carter (2002) suggest that this is one of the most significant types of trauma, which creates a major challenge for children and adolescents, as they find themselves in a position where they are not able to handle the effects. One of the common types of process traumas is physical abuse in which case the children involved tend to find themselves going through some form of abuse physically. Svedin, Nilsson, & Lindell (2004) argue that a big number of people in the society do not understand the impacts of this type of trauma, as they believe that such experiences do not account for any form of trauma for the children or adolescents involved. However, this is not the case, as the children or adolescents involved tend to change gradually depending on their exposure to such experiences.
Craparo, Schimmenti, & Caretti (2013) reflect on the idea of exposure to early traumatic experiences by suggesting that majority of the cases are not diagnosed of handled effectively due to lack of knowledge among the people involved. That is evident from the fact that most adults tend to fail in their understanding that exposure to traumatic experiences may have long-lasting impacts on the children or adolescents involved. In most cases, parents tend to consider their children as having the knowledge or abilities that would allow them to deal with such events effectively, which is not the case. Lee, Anderson, & Klimes ‐ Dougan (2016) argues that the inability for the children and adolescents to cope or deal with such traumatic experiences is a contributing factor to the occurrence of negative effects later in life especially during the adolescent stage. That acts as a clear indication of the fact that trauma must be taken into serious consideration when focusing on mental health issues among teenagers and adolescents.
The impacts of such traumatic experiences tend to vary with the common impact being that these children and adolescents tend to experience some form of fear or anxiety towards some of the key situations that resulted in the traumatic experiences. Venturini et al. (201) argue that the impacts of traumatic experiences with regard to a family setting is that they tend to disrupt the normal functioning of the family, as it becomes harder for members of the family to cope with such experiences. That means that the occurrence of trauma creates a significant shift within the family setting towards changing the overall mentality among some members of the family. For children and adolescents, this acts as a contributing factor to the occurrence of negative effects, as it becomes much more harder for them to rely on the family for any form of support.
The nature of experiences that children and adolescents tend to have are very different when compare to the events, which would be considered as traumatic, for adults. During the childhood and adolescent stages of life, any form of impact or negative experienced may have far reaching effects considering that these are stages where the children and adolescents are gaining their identity. For children and adolescents, one of the key aspects to note is that increased cases of bullying and embarrassment within the school setting or environment acts as a key stressor that may result in negative outcomes. Exposure to bullying or embarrassment creates a situation where most of the victims tend to lack the ability to cope or handle some of the underlying effects of their experiences. The long-term effect is that these stressors may change their mentality significantly attributed to the fact that they tend to act as traumatic experiences.
Mental health experts argue that the fact that children and adolescents are more likely to experience trauma acts as a key source of concern in evaluating their mental health capacities. Pinto, Correia, & Maia (2014) support this position by arguing that the exposure of children and adolescents to traumatic experiences tend to change their course of development, as it becomes much harder for them to develop that sense of personal identity. Ultimately, this means that these children and adolescents would be more likely to change their behaviors negatively during their transition towards the late adolescent stage. Additionally, it is equally important to consider the fact that these teenagers may experience a significant shift with regard to their abilities to cope with specific experiences in their lives that would act as reminder of traumatic experiences. That is common in cases where the children and adolescents involved do not go through any form of counseling or mental health care to provide them with a platform for coping with such events.
On the other hand, it equally important to consider the fact that traumatic experiences in children and adolescents tend to have a major impact on their physical and emotional growth levels. Chassman, Kottler, & Madison (2010) argue that physical and emotional growth are some of the key elements that determine effectiveness when dealing with children and adolescents, as these two elements act as determinants of their mental health status. However, exposure of these children and adolescents to events and experiences that would be considered as being traumatic, in any way, the victims tend to experience a shift in their capacities for physical and emotional growth. From a physical perspective, poor growth would arise from the fact that the children and adolescents involved tend to develop eating disorders that may affect their abilities to eat effectively.
Exposure to Early Traumatic Experiences
Early traumatic experiences occurring during childhood and early adolescent stages tend to reflect on the experiences that children or adolescents may have, which may change their sensory capacities to deal with underlying life events. One key aspect to consider when reflecting on children and adolescents is the fact that these stages present a wide array of vulnerabilities for the victims involved. The vulnerabilities arise from the fact that the children and adolescents involved tend to lack the inherent abilities or capacities that would allow them deal with such experiences. On the other hand, the vulnerabilities also reflect on the fact that it becomes somewhat challenging for the children and adolescents involved to understand the extent of their exposures. That means that these children and adolescents would be more likely to experience negative impacts of such traumatic experiences later in life in the event that such experiences are not handled effectively.
Research also extends the debate on early traumatic experiences to the fact that children and adolescents are at a higher risk of experiencing one or more forms of trauma that would have far reaching effects in their later lives. When compared to adults, children and adolescents find themselves in a rather vulnerable event focusing on their exposure to a wide array of traumatic experiences that may cause significant impacts. As suggested in the research conducted, some of the key stressors common in children and adolescents include bullying and embarrassment, which may occur within a school setting or environment. In most cases, the children and adolescents involved do not have the mental capacities to deal with such experiences, thus, exposing them to the likelihood of negative effects in later stages of life. From that perspective, it is important for parents, teachers, and the community in general to develop some sense of understanding with regard to the vulnerability associated with early traumatic experiences.
Alternatively, the research conducted also exposes the fact that exposure of children and adolescents to traumatic experiences tends to impact on their physical and emotional growth levels significantly. These experiences tend to change the way in which children and adolescents cope with other aspects or areas of their lives including their connection with others within their varied environments. Childhood and adolescent stages play a key role in brain development, as these are key stages in which the brain undergoes full development as part of the transition towards adulthood. However, exposure to experiences that would be considered as traumatic within these stages tends to impact on the capacity for the brain to develop effectively. Ultimately, this creates a situation where it is somewhat difficult of challenging for the children and adolescents involved to engage in other areas of their lives.
Effects of Complex Traumatic Experiences
One of the key areas to consider is the effects associated with such traumatic experiences from both a physical and mental perspective, as this would be of value towards reflecting on the possibility of assessing necessary recommendations for dealing with such events. The first key effect is on attachment and relationships in which the children and adolescents involved in traumatic experiences tend to have unstable and unpredictable relationships with others. Venturini et al. (2016) argues that children and adolescents, who go through neglect and abuse as part of their traumatic experiences, tend to lack that element of trust when building their relationships and attachments. Trust is a key element of consideration, as it works towards ensuring that both parties involved in a relationship interact on an emotional level as a way of building effectiveness in the attachments and relationships.
However, this changes significantly in cases where the children and adolescents involved have gone through some form of traumatic experience, as it changes their capacities to trust others in their surrounding environments. The second key effect reflects on the physical perspective considering that the exposure of children and adolescents to traumatic experiences tends to change their attitude towards themselves. One of the key effects of exposure to stressor that serve as traumatic experiences is development of eating disorders, which act as mental health issues associated with children and teenagers. The development of eating disorders means that the victims may engage in actions that include binge eating or, in some cases, refuse to eat completely as one of their mechanisms to deal with such experiences. Additionally, some of the teenagers and adolescents involved tend to develop poor hygiene depending on the nature of the traumatic experience that they were exposed to in the early stages of development.
The third key impact associated with exposure to traumatic experiences is poor emotional response towards given scenarios or events in their lives. Most of the children and adolescents dealing with traumatic experiences tend to lack that emotional balance that would allow them to handle their emotions effectively. In some cases, these children and adolescents tend to become somewhat irritable as a way of managing their stress associated with exposure to traumatic events. Frydman & Mayor (2017) argue that this is one of the key areas that parents and teachers would need to evaluate as part of their approach towards dealing with such traumatic experiences in children and adolescents. By evaluating an adolescent’s emotional response to given situations, it would be much easier to determine whether exposure to traumatic experiences have had any form of impacts with regard to their emotional balance and coping abilities.
The last effect of early traumatic experiences is dissociation reflecting on the position that children and adolescents tend to dissociate themselves both physically and mentally as a way of managing their experiences. Craparo, Schimmenti, & Caretti (2013) argue that it is a common occurrence to encounter adolescents that are somewhat dissociated attributed to their desire to isolate themselves from environments that may create some form of interaction with others. From an emotional or mental perspective, dissociation is evident in cases where the adolescents involved tend to focus more attention on themselves regardless of the situation or scenario. For example, it is common for adolescents to use their mental dissociation as a defense tool that would allow them to deal with or handle some of the traumatic experiences. In most cases, they tend to show lack of emotional response towards others within the same social environment as themselves attributed to the fact that they tend to believe that this would act as an effective approach to dealing with trauma.
Recommendations for Dealing with the Effects
After engaging in a close evaluation of the events associated with exposure to early traumatic experiences, the main aspect of consideration is that it would be essential to develop some form of recommendations as a way of improving capacity for the adolescents involved. The first key recommendation revolves around the fact that the mental health experts involved must be willing to create an avenue from which to promote communication on the part of the adolescents involved. Communication would act as an effective approach towards dealing with these effects, as it paves the way for the adolescents involved to talk about their traumatic experiences. In the long-term, this would act as an effective platform from which the adolescents would begin their healing process, as it allows them to release that connection that they had towards the traumatic experiences.
The second recommendation would reflect on the area of knowledge on the part of parents, teachers, and the community with regard to their abilities to understand cases where adolescents are facing negative effects of traumatic experiences. One of the key issues identified when dealing with such experiences is the fact that majority of parents and teachers tend to lack that aspect of knowledge allowing them to understand such impacts. Consequently, this creates a situation where the adolescents involved cope with the effects of traumatic experiences on an individual level. However, by introducing training and development programs on early traumatic experiences, it would become much easier to provide parents and teachers with information and knowledge reflecting on such experiences. The long-term effect of such programs would be improved capacities for the adolescents to deal with the effects associated with early traumatic experiences based on the support that they receive from their parents are teachers.
The third key recommendation reflects on the need for introduction of support programs targeting adolescents within schools as part of the approach towards ensuring that they are well positioned to cope with some of these impacts. One of the key issues that arise when dealing with the effects is that they tend to lack effective support structures that would guarantee effectiveness in the approach towards traumatic experiences. Schools and academic institutions dealing with adolescents must be willing to take up effective approaches that would include introduction of support programs. As adolescents go through traumatic experiences, they tend to believe that they are alone and no one is able to help them overcome such experiences or the thoughts arising from the same. Thus, this creates the need for such programs, as they would be of value in providing these adolescents with information on what would be expected in their approach towards dealing with trauma. The long-term effect is that they would be well positioned towards improving their capacities to reflect on the underlying impacts of their traumatic experiences.
Conclusion
In summary, exposure to early traumatic experiences is one of the key challenges plaguing children and adolescents around the world. Over 5 million children in the United States find themselves exposed to traumatic experiences annually. Approximately 70% of these children exposed to traumatic experiences are not well positioned to cope with the underlying effects especially in their transition to adolescents. The key concern when focusing on the concept of trauma revolves around the fact that most of the children and adolescents finding themselves exposed to traumatic experiences do not go through any form of mental health care. Trauma can be separated into two distinct types, which are trauma events and process trauma each of which tends to have a negative outcome for the children or adolescents involved.
Parents tend to consider their children as having the knowledge or abilities that would allow them to deal with such events effectively, which is not the case. One of the key aspects to note is that increased cases of bullying and embarrassment within the school setting or environment acts as a key stressor that may result in negative outcomes. Vulnerabilities arise from the fact that the children and adolescents involved tend to lack the inherent abilities or capacities that would allow them deal with such experiences. The first key effect is on attachment and relationships in which the children and adolescents involved in traumatic experiences tend to have unstable and unpredictable relationships with others. The second key effect reflects on the physical perspective considering that the exposure of children and adolescents to traumatic experiences tends to change their attitude towards themselves. The third key impact associated with exposure to traumatic experiences is poor emotional response towards given scenarios or events in their lives. The last effect of early traumatic experiences is dissociation reflecting on the position that children and adolescents tend to dissociate themselves both physically and mentally.
References
Chassman, L., Kottler, J., & Madison, J. (2010). An exploration of counselor experiences of adolescents with sexual behavior problems. Journal of Counseling & Development , 88 (3), 269-276.
Craparo, G., Schimmenti, A., & Caretti, V. (2013). Traumatic experiences in childhood and psychopathy: a study on a sample of violent offenders from Italy. European journal of psychotraumatology , 4 , 1-.
Frydman, J. S., & Mayor, C. (2017). Trauma and Early Adolescent Development: Case Examples from a Trauma-Informed Public Health Middle School Program. Children & Schools , 39 (4), 238-247.
Lee, C. Y. S., Anderson, J. R., & Klimes ‐ Dougan, B. (2016). Potentially traumatic experiences, academic performance, and psychological distress: The role of shame. Journal of Counseling & Development , 94 (1), 41-50.
Liotti, G., Pasquini, P., & Cirrincione, R. (2000). Predictive factors for borderline personality disorder: Patients' early traumatic experiences and losses suffered by the attachment figure. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica , 102 (4), 282-289.
Milani, A. C. C., Hoffmann, E. V., Fossaluza, V., Jackowski, A. P., & Mello, M. F. (2017). Does pediatric post ‐ traumatic stress disorder alter the brain? Systematic review and meta ‐ analysis of structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging studies. Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences , 71 (3), 154-169.
Pinto, R., Correia, L., & Maia, Â. (2014). Assessing the reliability of retrospective reports of adverse childhood experiences among adolescents with documented childhood maltreatment. Journal of Family Violence , 29 (4), 431-438.
Svedin, C. G., Nilsson, D., & Lindell, C. (2004). Traumatic experiences and dissociative symptoms among Swedish adolescents. A pilot study using Dis-Q-Sweden. Nordic journal of psychiatry , 58 (5), 349-355.
Sweatt, L., Harding, C. G., Knight-Lynn, L., Rasheed, S., & Carter, P. (2002). Talking about the silent fear: Adolescents' experiences of violence in an urban high-rise community. Adolescence , 37 (145), 109.
Venturini, P. et al. (2016). Psychopathology, temperament and suicide risk in adolescence: The role of early traumatic experience. European Psychiatry , 33 , S346.
