Childhood Trauma

Many survivors of childhood trauma do not seek treatment until they are well into adulthood. Often, their presenting complaints may not directly reflect a childhood trauma, but rather the outcome of a lifelong psychological reaction to the trauma. For instance, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse may seek treatment as an adult for a variety of issues, such as depression, alcohol or drug abuse, or insomnia, which may appear unrelated to the abuse.

In this Discussion, you will analyze the long-term effects of childhood trauma on survivors' mental and physical well-being.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review this week’s resources related to Childhood Trauma, focusing on topics such as child physical and sexual abuse, the importance of trauma diagnosis, and prevention/treatment programs.
• Pay particular attention to how exposure to a childhood trauma might result in a transcrisis state.
• Consider the destructive behaviors that survivors of childhood sexual abuse might exhibit in the absence of appropriate aftercare.
• Reflect on psychological and physical characteristics associated with neglected children. Think about how such characteristics might be indicative of a transcrisis state.
• Think about survivors' cognitive impairments, emotional reactions, and behaviors associated with exposure to family violence. Also, consider how survivors' relationships are affected by exposure to family violence in childhood.
• Consider the long-term psychological and physical effects of child abuse on adult survivors.
• Identify a specific type of childhood trauma (e.g., child physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, or exposure to family violence). Think about how exposure to this type of trauma might result in a transcrisis state. Also, reflect on various behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and psychosomatic characteristics of survivors that might be indicative of a transcrisis state.

With these thoughts in mind:

By Day 4

Post an explanation of how a specific type of childhood trauma might lead to a transcrisis state among survivors. Then, provide at least two specific examples of how survivors' psychological and/or physical health might be affected by being in a transcrisis state.

Note: Include the childhood trauma you discussed in the first line of your post. You will be asked to respond to the posting of a colleague who discussed a childhood trauma that you did not.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.

Required Readings

Goldston, D. B., Molock, S. D., Whitbeck, L. B., Murakami, J. L., Zayas, L. M., & Nagayama Hall, G. C. (2008). Cultural considerations in adolescent suicide prevention and psychosocial treatment. American Psychologist, 63(1), 14–31.

Hughes, M., Brymer, M., Chiu, W. T., Fairbank, J., Jones, R., Pynoos, R., … Kessler, R. (2011). Posttraumatic stress among students after the shootings at Virginia Tech. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 3(4), 403–411.

James, R. K., & Gilliland, B. E. (2017). Crisis intervention strategies (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

• Review Chapter 13, "Crises in Schools"(pp. 429-480)

Motomura, N., Iwakiri, M., Takino, Y., Shimomura, Y., & Ishibashi, M. (2003). School crisis intervention in the Ikeda incident: Organization and activity of the mental support team. Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, 57(2), 239–240.

Nickerson, A. B., Brock, S. E., & Reeves, M. A. (2006). School crisis teams within an incident command system. The California School Psychologist, 11, 63–72.

Sandoval, J., & Brock, S. E. (1996). The school psychologist's role in suicide prevention. School Psychology Quarterly, 11(2), 169–185.

Wilke, T. L., & Fraser, M. W. (2009). School shootings: Making sense of the senseless. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 14(3), 162–169.

Required Media

Laureate Education (Executive Producer). (2008f). School Crises. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 13 minutes.
Dr. Ted Feinberg speaks in this video. Accessible player --Downloads--Download Video w/CCDownload AudioDownload Transcript

Resources for Childhood Trauma Resources (see School Crises grouped above)

Required Readings

D’Andrea, W., Ford, J., Stolback, B., & Van der Kolk, B. (2012). Understanding interpersonal trauma in children: Why we need a developmentally appropriate trauma diagnosis. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82(2), 187-100.

James, R. K., & Gilliland, B. E. (2013). Crisis intervention strategies (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.

• Chapter 1, "Approaching Crisis Intervention" (Review pp. 11–12 on "Transcrisis States")
• Chapter 9, "Sexual Assault" (pp. 271–289 only)

Lalor, K., & McElvaney, R. (2010). Child sexual abuse, links to later sexual exploitation/high-risk sexual behavior, and prevention/treatment programs. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 11(4), 159–177.

Sugaya, L., Hasin, D. S., Olfson, M., Lin, K-H., Grant, B. F., & Blanco, C. (2012). Child physical abuse and adult mental health: A national study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 25(4), 384–392.

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2008a). Childhood trauma [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 9 minutes.