Written by: GiAnna Biondi
Edited by: Benjamin Hewitt
About 6 out of every 100 people will experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at some point in their life, according to the National Center for PTSD. Most people will go through at least one traumatic event during their lifetime, such as a bad car accident, a violent encounter, or other dangerous events. PTSD is highly comorbid (or in relation) to a series of other susceptible disorders, such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) or Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
Childhood is an extremely vulnerable time period. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), such as exposure to violence, neglect, physical/sexual abuse, and economic hardship could lead to a risk of developing PTSD (Siegel et al, 2012). These adversities could also impact a child biologically, posing a great risk to the development of their brain structure and function. The experience of a traumatic event a child endures could add on to toxic stress, which is a factor that is also comorbid to PTSD. If a child goes through a traumatic event, it is important to treat this situation, as it could impact their future greatly, and lead to the diagnoses of other disorders, along with the development of PTSD.
Every child is different, stemming from their interests to their behavior. Some children may be more susceptible to developing PTSD than others, even if they are exposed to the same traumatic event. A heavy influence on the development of PTSD is a child’s environmental factors, namely their family. Parental behavior is a heavy weight on a developing child, thus the reactions of parents greatly influences the reactions of children, especially if exposed to a traumatic event (Dyregrov, 1993).
So, what do we do when a child is exposed to a traumatic event? How do we minimize the risk for children developing PTSD? The best approach to any child that has been exposed to a traumatic event is to build their resilience. Compare the term ‘resilience’ to a sports injury. Say an athlete tears a muscle in their arm or leg, and now they have weakness from the injury. Athletes build their strength up more by attending physical therapy, and doing activities that strengthen and train that muscle back to its full capacity (sometimes even stronger than before!).
We apply this same idea with building resilience in a child. If a child experiences a traumatic event, it is important to act fast, and to teach them about the event. Some forms of resilience building include making a child develop a sense of motivation for overcoming the event, providing positive parenting, knowledge about the traumatic event, providing a sense of self-regulation for that child, and helping them foster close bonds with their peers (Horn et al, 2016).
It is crucial to have the child recognize the event they have gone through (to their best ability). Teaching the child about the event could help limit the effects of PTSD, such as comparing it to others who have gone through the same event. It is best to understand the mood changes the child will go through after being exposed to this event, and it is imperative to keep track of these moods, and to help regulate their emotions and behavior. Giving a child positive reinforcement, such as a reward or words of praise, could motivate the child more in uncovering their feelings from this event, and the progress they make when building their resilience. As a caregiver, adverse factors might happen in life. However, providing a safe-space for the child is extremely efficient in developing their resilience. Nurturing the child, and ensuring you are always there for them, helps build this up, and limits the effects of, or potential to get, PTSD. Life happens, and struggles could follow suit. The tide could be pulling an individual into the ocean, but this individual must go against the current. As stated before, children are highly dependent on parental factors and behavior. Building resilience up as the caregiver affects the child as well - it builds the child’s resilience up as well.
It could be tough, but the provision of adequate therapy is out there as well. Do not be afraid to seek help when needed. Professionals are there to provide the support needed, and will be by one’s side every step of the way. Strong resilience is key to limiting the effects of PTSD; it provides mental strength and will get one out of that tide.
References:
Va.gov: Veterans Affairs. How Common is PTSD in Adults? (2018, September 13). ://www.ptsd.va.gov
Jack P. Shonkoff, Andrew S. Garner, THE COMMITTEE ON PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECTS OF CHILD AND FAMILY HEALTH, COMMITTEE ON EARLY CHILDHOOD, ADOPTION, AND DEPENDENT CARE, AND SECTION ON DEVELOPMENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL PEDIATRICS, Benjamin S. Siegel, Mary I. Dobbins, Marian F. Earls, Andrew S. Garner, Laura McGuinn, John Pascoe, David L. Wood; The Lifelong Effects of Early Childhood Adversity and Toxic Stress. Pediatrics January 2012; 129 (1): e232–e246. 10.1542/peds.2011-2663Dyregrov, A. (1993). The Interplay of trauma and grief. In Occasional Paper No. 8, Trauma and Crisis Management. London: Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry.Sarah R. Horn, Dennis S. Charney, Adriana Feder, Understanding resilience: New approaches for preventing and treating PTSD, Experimental Neurology, Volume 284, Part B, 2016, Pages 119-132,
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