Understanding and Dealing with Childhood Trauma

Childhood is a time that is meant to be filled with enriching experiences and memories that can be carried into adulthood and that allow one to flourish as a human being. When we are children, we are probably at our most vulnerable, and what we experience at that stage of life shapes us in profound ways.

Our lives carry a mix of happy and sad experiences for us all, and that includes children. Among these unhappy experiences that impact young lives are what are called traumatic events.

A traumatic event during one’s childhood, also referred to as an adverse childhood experience, refers to an event that’s experienced by a child that is frightening, dangerous, evokes fear, and is violent or life-threatening. Sometimes, even witnessing events of this kind can cause trauma.

Such events threaten the physical security and bodily autonomy of the child or a loved one. A child can be traumatized in various ways, whether it’s through abuse and/or neglect, physical assault, being bullied, or witnessing violence in the home.

Around 46% of children aged seventeen and under experience at least one trauma at some point in their childhood, though it should be understood that experiencing trauma doesn’t mean that the child is emotionally scarred for life because of it.

Different ways a child can experience trauma.

There are various ways for a child to potentially experience trauma, a few of which have already been mentioned. When a child is in situations where they believe that they might be injured or fear for their lives, they may show signs of child traumatic stress. Some potentially traumatic events include:

• Physical, sexual, or psychological abuse and neglect (including being trafficked).
• Violence at school or in their community.
• Natural disasters, war, or terrorism.
• Violent media.
• Witnessing or experiencing domestic violence.
• Commercial sexual exploitation.
• Sudden or violent loss of a loved one.
• Watching a loved one endure a major health issue.
• Substance abuse disorder, whether personal or familial.
• Displacement from home and subsequent refugee or war experiences.
• Military family-related stressors such as deployment, parental loss, or injury.
• Experiencing physical or sexual assault.
• Experiencing serious accidents or life-threatening illnesses.

Thankfully, not every experience of a traumatic event will result in traumatic stress.

Some of the factors that may be at work in a traumatic event resulting in trauma and traumatic stress include the child’s proximity to the event, the severity of the inciting event, whether the child has a prior history of trauma, how the child’s caregivers responded to the traumatic event, and whether the child has a support structure in their family and community that can help buffer the child against the harmful effects of traumatic experiences.

General signs of childhood trauma.

When a child experiences a traumatic event, how they respond will depend on several factors, including their age. Caregivers need to keep an eye out in the weeks and months after an upsetting experience for emotional and behavioral issues.

Broadly, some of these include anger issues and irritability, drastic changes in appetite, attention problems, trouble sleeping, refusing to go to school, headaches and tummy aches, and a loss of interest in activities they enjoyed before.

In younger children of preschool age, they may have nightmares, cry a lot, and experience fear of being separated from their parents. An elementary school-aged child may experience guilt or shame, become anxious or fearful, and struggle to concentrate. A child in middle or high school, may feel depressed or alone, become involved in risky sexual behavior, develop eating disorders or self-harming behaviors, and they may begin abusing alcohol or drugs.

These are some of the signs that a caregiver/parent should look out for in the wake of a traumatic experience, but as each child is unique, a parent or caregiver should look out for behavior that’s different for that child and seek help if they notice anything untoward that raises concern.

How does childhood trauma affect a person?

Childhood trauma can affect that child when they are young but depending on the trauma and whether it has been addressed, childhood trauma can have an impact in later life in several ways. Not only does trauma affect brain development and impair the development of their immune and central nervous systems, but it can affect that child socially, physically, and mentally as well.

Some of the physical effects of childhood trauma and exposure to more than one adverse childhood experience include the risk of developing long-term health problems such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, asthma, autoimmune diseases, and cancer.

A 2015 study that was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reported that the more adverse experiences a child goes through, the higher their risk of chronic disease later in life. Trauma is also a risk factor for nearly all behavioral health and substance use disorders.

Mentally, a child that experiences trauma may develop learning problems, including lower grades. They may also develop depression, high levels of stress, anger control issues, and dissociation when exposed to complex traumas. Adults that experienced traumas such as parental domestic violence, sexual abuse, and physical abuse as a child are also at significant risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 for support and assistance from a trained counselor, and if you or a loved one are in immediate danger, you should call 911. Some additional effects of childhood trauma include low self-esteem, a lack of impulse control, difficulty with reasoning or problem-solving, and engaging in high-risk behaviors. In later life, these impacts can have serious legal ramifications.

Socially and in their relationships, childhood trauma can affect one’s ability to form secure attachments which in turn makes it difficult to trust people and form meaningful connections with others throughout childhood and into adulthood.

How is childhood trauma addressed?

The adults in the life of a child who has experienced trauma have a significant and crucial role to play in helping that child process what they’ve experienced. A child that experiences trauma needs patient reassurance and support during a time when it may feel like the world they knew is crumbling and falling apart.

In the first instance, it’s important to assure the child that he or she is safe and to let them know that they aren’t responsible for what has happened. A child can blame themselves for things beyond their control, and they need reassurance that they aren’t to blame and it’s not their fault

Each child will respond differently, so be patient with your child as they work through things in their unique way. Encourage them to talk about how they are feeling, answering their questions with honesty, empathy, and compassion. Where possible, stick to a predictable daily routine to maintain a sense of constancy in their lives at a time when things seem unstable and in flux.

It is also important to find help from a mental health professional who is trained in Evidence-Based Trauma Treatment. They can help your child and family deal with the trauma and move toward wholeness. If you experienced childhood trauma and it is still an area that needs healing, you should also talk with a mental health professional.

Using various therapeutic techniques and trauma-informed therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing (EMDR), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) among others, can help you better cope with childhood trauma and its effects.

By bringing structure into your life through a consistent sleeping and eating schedule, as well as getting in some exercise and leaning on your social support system, you can begin to learn how to cope with the effects of childhood trauma and begin to heal from it.

If you experienced childhood trauma, or if your child has experienced a traumatic event, know that healing and wholeness for you and your family are possible. It can seem overwhelming and daunting, but through the strength and wisdom that God provides, the impossible becomes possible. To begin that journey, please contact a counselor and schedule an appointment.