Unit 6 Flashcards
how does impact of trauma show up in children
- persistent fear response (decreased ability to differentiate between danger & safety)
- hyperarousal (highly sensitive to non-verbal cues & may misinterpret them; impacts learning)
- increased internalizing symptoms (withdrawal, somatic complaints, anxiety, depression)
- diminished executive functioning (lower academic achievement, intellectual impairment, decreased attention, decreased IQ, difficulty focusing & planning)
- delayed developmental milestones (language, motor skills, walking, physical growth, cognitive, social)
- weakened response to positive feedback – don’t respond well to praise, compliments, achievements
- complicated social interactions (decreased apadtion to changing social contexts, difficulty with trust, inappropriate social responses)
High bursts of intense emotions, difficulty soothing themselves/regulating emotion
Difficulty making friends/playing/trust
3 things that make up executive functioning
- working memory (keep/use information)
- inhibitory control
- cognitive or mental flexibility : difficulty focusing, difficulty intellectual functioning
influences in trauma response to childhood abuse & neglect
- age/developmental stage
- severity of maltreatment
- relationship to perpetrator
- type of abuse/neglect
what are acts of commission
- abusive acts
- outwards acts of abuse to a child; words or actions that cause harm or threaten harm
what are acts of omission
neglectful acts; failure to provide needs (physical or emotional)
outcomes of acts of commission and omission
- Types do produce different outcomes but research cant pin point because it is complicated; most kids who are victim to one type are usually victim to the other as well
according to Cook et al. what are the domains of impairment in children exposed to complex trauma
- attachment
- biology
- affect regulation
- disociation
- behavioural control
- cognition
- self-concept
according to Cook et al. what are problems in ATTACHMENT
as related to the domains of impairment in children exposed to complex trauma
- problems w boundaries
- distrust & suspiciouness
- social isolation
- interpersonal difficulties
- difficulties attuning to other people’s emotional states
- difficulty with perspective taking
according to Cook et al. what are problems in BIOLOGY
as related to the domains of impairment in children exposed to complex trauma
- sensorimotor developmental problems
- analgesia
- problems with coordination, balance, body tone
- somatization
- increased medical problems (e.g., pelvic pain, asthma, skin issues, autoimmune disorders, pseudoseizures [real seizures without organic basis, mostly in children, usually stressed induced – overwhelmed by emotion])
according to Cook et al. what are problems in AFFECT REGULATION
as related to the domains of impairment in children exposed to complex trauma
- difficulty w emotional self regulation
- difficulty labeling & expressing feelings
- problems knowing & describing internal states
- difficulty communication wishes & needs
according to Cook et al. what are problems in DISSOCIATION
as related to the domains of impairment in children exposed to complex trauma
- distinct alterations in states of consciousness
- amnesia (usually short-term but can be permanent)
- depersonalization & derealization (on continuum day dreaming -> complete lack of time)
- 2 or more distinct states of consciousness
- impaired memory for state-based events
according to Cook et al. what are problems in BEHAVIOURAL CONTROL
as related to the domains of impairment in children exposed to complex trauma
a. Self destructive (obvious like hitting head on
b. Self soothing behaviours in kids (thumb sucking, hair twirling, rocking, repeatitive action taken to soothe emotions – becomes pathological: lack of control, awareness of when/where to do that [social context])
c. Excessive compliance (feel need to be perfect, following authority- learned from a way to avoid abuse)
d. ^ opposite end of spectrum = oppositional behaviour (disrespecting authority, doesnt follow rules)
e. ^difficulty understanding and complying with rules (don’t understand may result in above)
f. Reenactment of trauma in behaviour or play (e.g., sexual, aggressive) -unique to children
g. sleep disturbances
h. substance abuse
i. eating disorders
according to Cook et al. what are problems in COGNITION
as related to the domains of impairment in children exposed to complex trauma
a. Difficulties in attention regulation and executive functioning
b. Lack of sustained curiousity (sustained aka may be curious but that quickly fades)
c. Problems with object constancy (object in front of infant, and you hide it [peek-a-boo], abstract ability to know object is still there, even if you cant see it)
d. Difficulty with orientation -time tagging events
e. Difficulty planning and anticipating
f. Problems understanding responsibility
g. Problems with language development
h. Problems focusing on & completing tasks
according to Cook et al. what are problems in SELF CONCEPT
as related to the domains of impairment in children exposed to complex trauma
a. Lack of continuous predictable sense of self (more difficult for them to describe themselves, see themselves the way others do)
b. Poor sense of separateness (cant see themselves as unique, separate in context outside of others)
c. Disturbances in body image
d. Low self-esteem
e. Shame & guilt
what makes childhood trauma different from trauma experienced later in life
- studies suggest exposure to multiple or repeated forms of maltreatment and trauma in childhood can lead to outcomes that are not simply more severe than the sequelae of single incident trauma but are qualitatively different in their tendency to affect multiple affective & interpersonal domains (Cloitre et al)
behavioural impacts of trauma on adolescents
- increased impulsivity (beyond what is expected)
- difficulty with tasks using higher-level thinking & feeling (poorer critical thinking “emotional intelligence” or awareness)
- poor school performance
- substance use
