Adolescent Trauma

 Adolescents in Childhood Trauma

At least one in seven children has experienced child abuse and/or neglect in the past year, and this is likely an underestimate. In 2021, 1,840 children died of abuse and neglect in the United States.

In 2021, about 1 in 5 high school students reported being bullied on school property in the last year.

8% of high school students have been in a physical fight on school property one or more times during the 12 months

Each day, about 14 youths die from homicide, and more than 1,300 are treated in emergency departments for violence-related injuries.

What We Know

Adolescent children have very sensitive brains which makes them more sensitive to the environment, they hit the peak of being curious about everything. They have to be more social,  think they need to be independent, get more involved academically, in relationships, etc. A critical part of an adolescent recovery is having a supportive caregiving system, access to effective treatments, and trauma-informed service systems.

Everyone has an alarm system within their body, children who have trauma have an alarm system within their body, which is designed to keep them safe from harm. When activated, the tool prepares the body to fight or run away. The alarm can be activated at any perceived sign of trouble and this could leave children feeling scared, angry, irritable, or even withdrawn.

Here is a link to understand how sensitive and open-minded the adolescent brain can be https://youtu.be/-1FRco3Bjyk

Mental Health Signs

Children and adolescents do vary in their responses to trauma experiences. The reactions of individuals may be influenced by their developmental level, ethnicity/cultural factors, previous trauma exposure, and available resources. Nearly all children and adolescents know how to suppress their distress. Their behavior changes are sometimes not hard to miss, but their recovery from traumatic events can be more difficult. Many of the reactions displayed below are some of the behaviors and mental health signs:

1. Become anxious or fearful
2. Feel guilt or shame
3. I have a hard time concentrating
   
4. Have difficulty sleeping
5. Developing new fears
6. The decline in school work
7. Reduced concentration 
8. Feeling depressed or alone
9. Developing Eating Disorders or self-harming
10. Risky sexual behaviors

With these negative behavior and mental health signs, we must show them attention. There are a couple of major factors when discussing a child's mental health and behavior changes. When it comes to risky sexual behaviors involves being more sexually active, not having safe sex, or relying on sex. As parents or Guardians, you must be able to make sure your child doesn't ruin their social peers or lead to delinquent activity.

Supporting Your Child through Family and Communities

Supporting your child from a family to the community is by drawing

in strengths and the resources for the family and the child. Let them know mental health professionals can help to reduce their stress and they can build up their adaptive coping strategies. In solving problems the children's families can be useful to reduce their stress. Mental health professionals can help families navigate These real-life challenges and serve as advocates.

Ensure your child:

1. That they are safe

2. That they are not responsible 

Children tend to blame themselves for events that are completely out of their control.

3. Be patient.

Some children will recover quickly While others recover slowly. They do not need to feel guilty or bad or have any negative feelings or thoughts.

4. Seek the help of a trained professional if needed

A mental health professional trained in dealing with children with traumatic events has a great treatment that can help them cope and move forward to recovery.

These cause difficult functioning in family, peer groups, or school. Therefore, when working with adolescents with these types of changes, we must carefully assess their possible--trauma.

The majority of adolescence manifests resilience in the aftermath of their tragic experiences. Youths who have been exposed to multiple traumas could have a history of

anxiety problems, or experience family adversity are likely to be at higher risk of showing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. When given proper treatment children can return to their previous level of functioning and resume their normal developmental course. Keep in mind that this resilience typically results in a reduction in both psychological distress and physiological arousal.

Types of Treatment:

1. Therapy 

2. Cognitive processing therapy

3. Prolonged exposure therapy

4. Stress inoculation training

5. Family Therapy

6. Medication

Cognitive processing therapy is the idea to change the thought patterns that are disturbing your life. And this happens when you talk about your trauma or you concentrate on where your fear comes from. Prolonged exposure therapy is a type of treatment that individuals do to approach their trauma-related memories, feelings, and situations. Stress inoculation training is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that teaches you coping skills, and to find new ways to deal with your symptoms of PTSD. Family therapy is not just having one on one individual talks. 

Conclusion:

We need to understand the very trajectory of a child's reactions to and recovery from traumatic events. We must understand what occurs biologically, behaviorally, and psychologically after the exposure to traumatic events and how and why some children and adolescents recover over time will enable us to determine what type of treatment they need and how best to deliver such treatment. 

Resources

Murphy, Steven. (2018). Understanding Traumatic Stress in Adolescents: The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Pages-21. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/parenting-family/trauma-care-for-children.htm

Samantha Fisher,(2022). Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/child-trauma/understanding-child-trauma