Holistic Impacts on Developmental Variable - U6

Question 1

What is apart of the developmental variable?

Answer 1

• Growth; spiritual, emotional, physical
• Development; childhood, with expected milestones
• Unexpected life events; usually traumatic
• Expected life events
• Transitions; one phase of life to another

Question 2

*Findings from Understanding the Effects of Maltreatment on Brain Development: How do trauma impacts on the brain appear in children?

Answer 2

• There is a persistent fear response (decreased ability to differentiate between danger and safety)
• There is hyperarousal (highly sensitive to non-verbal cues and may misinterpret them, which impacts learning)
• There is delayed developmental milestones (language development, motor skills; walking, physical growth)

Question 3

What influences the trauma response to childhood abuse and neglect?

Answer 3

• Age/ developmental stage
• Severity of the maltreatment
• Relationship to the perpetrator, which indicates the type of attachment the child has developed with the parent, which is important for future relationship developments

Question 4

What are the types of abuse/neglect?

Answer 4

ACTS OF COMMISSION (ABUSIVE ACTS): words or overt actions that cause harm, potential harm, or threat of harm
ACTS OF OMISSION (NEGLECTFUL ACTS): failure to provide needs or to protect from harm or potential harm
*Most of the time, children are victims to both abuse and neglect at the same time

Question 5

Cook et al., 2005: What are the domains of impairment in children exposed to complex trauma?

Answer 5

1. Attachment
2. Biology
3. Affect regulation
4. Dissociation
5. Behavioural control
6. Cognition
7. Self-concept

Question 6

Domains of impairment in children exposed to complex trauma: #1

Answer 6

1. Attachment = distrust, issues with boundaries, social isolation, difficulty noticing and responding to the emotional reaction of others

Question 7

Domains of impairment in children exposed to complex trauma: #3

Answer 7

3. Affect regulation = difficulty with emotional self-regulation, difficulty labeling and expressing feelings, difficulty communicating wishes/needs

Question 8

Domains of impairment in children exposed to complex trauma: #5

Answer 8

5. Behavioural control = aggression towards others, pathological self-soothing behaviours (sucking the thumb, hair twirling, body rocking), sleep disturbances, eating disorders, substance use, oppositional behaviour (child not following rules, doesn’t listen to authority)

Question 9

Why is childhood trauma different than later life trauma?

Answer 9

• Brain development is largely impacted in children
• There is a lack of coping abilities available as a child
• The attachment at an early age impacts all future attachments (secure attachment being a protective factor, but unsecure attachment may be developed elsewhere, which will confuse the child)

Question 10

What are the behavioural impacts of trauma on adolescents?

Answer 10

• Increased impulsivity (doing things that are unsafe)
• Difficulty with tasks using higher-level thinking/feeling (poorer critical thinking, emotional awareness)
• Substance use (a significant risk factor as the child uses this as a coping mechanism because of the increased impulsivity)

Question 11

*Findings from Monahan, 2022; Trauma and the older adult:

Answer 11

• Prevalence of trauma is very high among older adults, simply because they have had more opportunity for exposure
• Older adults have been neglected in trauma research and they are less frequently screened for trauma by HCP*
• We need to be aware of potential elder abuse as a current trauma, as they are at higher risk of being victimized because they are more vulnerable
• We need to consider the reasons they may not disclose their trauma history (shame, distrust, discomfort because they have not shared these experiences before)