Trauma and Maltreatment (T3)

Question 1

What is child maltreatment?

Answer 1

child abuse, exploitation, or neglect

Question 2

What is harm standard?

Answer 2

focus on physical evidence of harm

Question 3

What is endangerment standard?

Answer 3

potential for harm

Question 4

What are the four types of child maltreatment?

Answer 4

physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, neglect

Question 5

What is physical abuse?

Answer 5

deliberate physical injury or serious risk of injury to child, regardless of whether or not there was an intent to harm.

Question 6

What is the APA’s stance on corporal punishment?

Answer 6

Not considered abuse, however, strongly discouraged, due to a wide variety of potential negative side effects, ineffectiveness, children’s right to be treated with dignity and respect, and the existence of more effective, nonviolent alternatives.

Question 7

What is sexual abuse?

Answer 7

Any sexual activity between adult and child/adolescent.

Question 8

What types of things can also be considered sexual abuse?

Answer 8

Sexual can include nonpenetrative acts like kissing and fondling, and non-contact sexual acts like voyeurism. Abuse can include non-physical coercion (bribing, manipulating, etc.)

Question 9

Why can’t youths give consent?

Answer 9

Consent requires

a. understanding of all implications, which children are developmentally incapable of appreciating,
b. freely engaging in the activity without any pressure, which cannot happen due to the inherent power dynamic between adult and child/adolescent.

Question 10

What is psychological abuse?

Answer 10

non-accidental verbal or symbolic acts by the caregiver that psychologically harm the child.

Question 11

What are examples of psychological abuse?

Answer 11

terrorizing, isolating, exploiting, denying emotional responsiveness, etc.

Question 12

What is neglect?

Answer 12

depriving the child of basic age-appropriate needs, resulting in potential physical or psychological harm.

Question 13

What is the most common form of child abuse in the USA?

Answer 13

neglect.

Question 14

Roughly how many US children are confirmed victims of abuse annually?

Answer 14

1 million.

Question 15

What is shaken baby syndrome?

Answer 15

brain damage initially causes drowsiness; failure to respond to stimulation, breathing problems, vomiting, seizures, coma, death.

Question 16

What are the most common impacts of childhood maltreatment?

Answer 16

physical health problems, behavioral problems (especially ODD, aggression, and CD), mood and anxiety problems, and insecure attachment.

Question 17

What are the 3 Evidence-based Treatments for Children

Exposed to Physical Abuse or Neglect?

Answer 17

1. Supportive therapy for children
2. Parent training
3. Cognitive-behavioral family therapy

Question 18

Explain supportive therapy for children exposed to physical abuse or neglect.

Answer 18

Helps children cope with feelings and memories associated with maltreatment, improves their sense of self and relationships, and addresses areas of functioning risk.

Question 19

What three areas of functioning risk are addressed during supportive therapy for children exposed to physical abuse or neglect?

Answer 19

disorganized attachment to caregiver: establish trust & unconditional positive regard
behavior regulation: teaching the connection between feelings, thoughts, and actions
self-perceptions: coping techniques

Question 20

Explain parent training as treatment for children exposed to physical abuse or neglect.

Answer 20

Parent management training,
Primary goal: Teach parents effective ways to socialize &
interact with their children.

Question 21

Explain cognitive-behavioral family therapy as treatment for children exposed to physical abuse or neglect.

Answer 21

Involves parent portion, child portion, and parent-child portion. The parent portion involves education on abuse, coping skills, realistic expectations for the child, and problem-solving skills. The child portion involves normalizing negative feelings, trauma narrative, and creating a safety plan. The parent-child portion involves discussing previous incidents of abuse.

Question 22

What is the HPA axis?

Answer 22

Regulates the human body’s fight or flight response to stress, children with PTSD often show dysregulation of this axis and abnormally high or low levels of cortisol which is the body’s main stress hormone.

Question 23

The emergence of PTSD can be predicted by what?

Answer 23

functioning before the trauma, proximity to the trauma, and brain and endocrine functioning.

Question 24

What are the principles of psychological first aid?

Answer 24

1. fostering a sense of safety
2. promoting a sense of calmness
3. increasing self-efficacy
4. achieving connectedness and social support
5. instilling hope for the future

Question 25

What is trauma-focused CBT? (TF-CBT).

Answer 25

teaches families about PTSD
teaches child coping skills
gradually exposes children to stimuli or memories associated with the traumatic event
Identifies and changes children’s maladaptive cognitions about the traumatic event.