Trauma

Grief and loss can be traumatic for people of all ages, children and teens included. Experiencing the loss of a loved one, whether close or not, may introduce feelings children have never had before. Feelings of abandonment, despair, and confusion may ensue. Grief can also be experienced when a pet passes on or if a friend moves away. Regardless of the circumstances, it’s important to have the necessary support and skills to be able to cope with grief and loss.

Separation and divorce can be traumatic for children, especially if the events that led up to them were difficult. Fighting, yelling, and conflict in the home can have lasting effects and may cause trauma that could take years to resolve if not dealt with properly.

Experiencing the suicide of a friend or loved one is often one of the most traumatic events a person may go through. The swell of emotions that may appear often include shock, confusion, despair, and guilt. This is typically an incredibly painful and challenging time, and may leave loss survivors with a lingering question of, “Why?” If your child has ever encountered suicide, whether it was someone they were close to or not, it is imperative that they get adequate support from an experienced licensed clinician.

Accidents of all kinds can result in psychological trauma. Car accidents and/or traumatic injuries can take a serious emotional toll on individuals, especially children and teens. Some symptoms of the trauma present immediately, such as trouble sleeping, mood swings, and anxiety. Other symptoms take time to appear and may not show up until years later (i.e., refusal to get one’s driver’s license).

The psychological distress that some people experience following floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and fires could result in trauma. In addition to emotional symptoms (i.e., becoming withdrawn, feelings of isolation, disengagement, etc.), there may also be physical manifestations of trauma from a natural disaster. These may include headaches, nausea, chest pain (often from anxiety), exacerbation of preexisting medical conditions, and more. Coping with trauma from natural disasters may require the help of a professional like a licensed child social worker, mental health counselor or psychologist.

Relational aggression is any form of nonphysical aggression that intends to harm an individual within their own social context. Taunting, teasing, manipulation, nonphysical bullying, gossiping, and public or private humiliation are all forms of relational aggression. The intention behind relational aggression is to hurt an individual’s personal relationships or reputation. This is a common occurrence during the teenage years, especially with teenage girls in 5th through 8th grades.

Terrorist attacks can be extremely traumatic for children of all ages. Witnessing a violent crime of any kind can have lasting effects on how children perceive the world around them. It’s important to address the feelings that come up in the face of terrorist events and find support from a therapist for children, such as the specialists on our team at Milestones Psychology.

Moving to a new home, town, or country can be traumatic for children and teens. Uprooting one’s life often means finding a whole new set of friends and navigating new social circles, as well as getting acclimated to a new environment. Older children may be more adaptable than younger kids, but even teenagers can experience trauma from moving, especially since they’ve had time to establish connections.

Community trauma refers to a shared experience that affects the community as a whole as a result of a violent or unexpected event. This may include school shootings, natural disasters, terror attacks, bushfires, or the death of a prominent member of the community. Experiencing violence in one’s community and/or school may induce significant trauma for children and teens. Grief counseling and/or support groups may be helpful to a community process the violence or trauma.

Child sexual abuse is a rampant problem that affects 1 in 9 girls and 1 in 20 boys under the age of 18. The effects of sexual abuse can be dire. Children and teens who have been sexually abused may experience depression, flashbacks, PTSD, self-harm, eating disorders, substance abuse issues, dissociation, panic attacks, suicidal tendencies, and other long-term effects. Finding a trustworthy, supportive therapist to help children deal with the aftermath of sexual abuse is a critical component of healing.

Trauma from physical abuse can have lingering effects on children and teens. Hitting, punching, restraining, inappropriate touching, sexual abuse, sexual violence, or any type of assault that can result in physical injury constitutes physical abuse and should immediately be reported to Child Protective Services. An estimated 5.5 million children are the victims of physical abuse each year, making it the second most common form of maltreatment in children. In addition to the developmental effects it can have on kids and adolescents, physical abuse also puts children at an increased risk of developing depression and anxiety.

Family violence is defined as any threatening, coercive, or abusive behavior between family members or those who live in the household. Although it could include physical and sexual violence, family violence may also be verbal. For some, it also looks like economic withholding and threats. Trauma from family violence may result in PTSD in children and adolescents if not addressed properly.

Intergenerational trauma is a type of trauma that gets passed on from trauma survivors to future generations (i.e., children and grandchildren). While intergenerational trauma does not cause genetic mutations, it does get expressed through the genes in an epigenetic manner. Some of the key symptoms of intergenerational trauma include hypervigilance, hopelessness, general distrust, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, low self-esteem, addiction, and more.

This condition is defined as an unhealthy emotional and/or behavioral response to stressful events. Stressful events can, include moving to a new home/community, the death of a loved one, sudden illnesses, chronic illnesses, divorce or separation, the birth of a sibling, and more. Adjustment disorders typically manifest within 3 months of the stressful occurrence. Symptoms may include a depressed mood and heightened anxiety.

Post traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) in children and teens may result from any traumatic life event, including sexual or physical abuse, family violence, and bullying. The symptoms of PTSD may include flashbacks, panic attacks, nightmares, anxiety attacks, and general emotional distress. PTSD in children and adolescents can be debilitating and can last through adulthood if not addressed by licensed professionals such as child therapists.