Trauma is caused by severe stressful events that affect how a person thinks and feels. The effect of the shock is often associated with the person’s ability to cope. Adults can cope better when compared to children and adolescents. However, this does not necessarily mean that senior persons are immune to experiencing trauma. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2019) discusses some of the possible causes of trauma in children and adolescents. They note maltreatment as one of the more common reasons for traumatic stress. Maltreatment is a broad term that is used to explain physical, sexual or emotional assault.
Van der Kolk (2017) estimates that incidences of children at risk of maltreatment is as high as 3 million and accounts the direct costs associated with treatment as $24.4 billion. For instance, when a child was sexually assaulted growing up, the action would take a toll on the child’s cognition leading to traumatic events. The severity is worsened if the culprit committing the crime is someone familiar to the child, as that adds the notion of neglect since the person doing the offense was supposed to protect the child. The same can be said to an adolescent, despite their coping abilities being more developed than children’s. Physical assault is something adolescents and children have a hard time getting over.
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Children’s National Health System (2019) describes common symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder that can result when a child is exposed to trauma. Concerning the shock mentioned above, the signs of interest are crying and depressed feelings, detachment from others and ill-tempered, aggressive with violent behavior. Looking into the first symptom, the child may often cry even when not directly triggered externally to do so. Also, the child may have a hard time explaining why they are crying. All this can happen because the child has a bitter feeling regarding what happened and depressing their opinions is the only option left because they are scared of trusting someone else again who can take advantage of their weaknesses.
A child who has been sexually abused will often detach from others as they feel they are not worthy of social interactions. They feel bitter and experience anxiety when interacting with their peers. The child believes in avoiding social interaction to save themselves the embarrassment of explaining their mishap. Finally, aggression is a defense mechanism the child uses to protect them against their vulnerabilities. They fear people getting close to them since they think they are out to use them. All these signs and symptoms are a child’s way of communicating that they are not okay, despite them trying hard to conceal that fact.
Childhood sexual abuse has grave long-term consequences on the victims who survive the outcome; among them is Post-traumatic stress disorder. Accessible treatment of such a trauma involves trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). Silverstone et al. (2016) conducted a study on the use of TF-CBT in the management of PTSD in child sexual abuse victims. Their results showed a significant decrease in PTSD symptoms, justifying the therapy to be efficient and effective. Also, the treatment is an evidence-based practice which can be quickly adopted in the psychological treatment of such victims.
Van Steensel, Zegers, and Bogels (2017) acknowledge the importance of family in the treatment of psychological conditions among children. Parents can start by helping their children overcome their fears. Fears can easily lead to relapse if left unresolved, despite receiving treatment. This means providing a sense of safety for the child which will help build trust as well as provide emotional support. Also, parents can lessen the household rules and hierarchy to enable the child to express themselves fully. This will promote family bonds that can be utilized to complement the TF-CBT therapy using ACT.
References
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Children . Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/ptsd.html
Children's National Health System. (2019). Pediatric Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder . Retrieved from https://childrensnational.org/choose-childrens/conditions-and-treatments/mental- health-behavioral-disorders/posttraumatic-stress-disorder
Silverstone, P. H., Greenspan, F., Silverstone, M., Sawa, H., & Linder, J. (2016). A complex multimodal 4-week residential treatment program significantly reduces PTSD symptoms in child sexual abuse victims: The Be Brave Ranch. J Child Adolesc Behav , 4 , 275.
Van der Kolk, B. A. (2017). This issue: child abuse & victimization. Psychiatric Annals , 35 (5), 374-378.
Van Steensel, F. J. A., Zegers, V. M., & Bögels, S. M. (2017). Predictors of treatment effectiveness for youth with ASD and comorbid anxiety disorders: It all depends on the family? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders , 47 (3), 636-645.
