Childhood Traumatic Stress - The Distressing Nightmares

Introduction

It is evident through studies that about 14 to 43 percent of boys and 15 to 43 percent of girls bear at least one traumatic event. And about 1 to 6 percent of boys and 3 to 15 percent of girls of these children experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). So, children and adolescents encountering traumatic stress at this event have somehow been exposed to one or more traumatic events at their past entity.

What Causes Childhood Traumatic Stress?

Children who have experienced traumatic events in the past have hard days identifying, differentiating, and managing their emotions and feelings. These adverse factors contribute to the development of post-traumatic stress affecting daily functioning, mental status, and overall health. The causes of childhood traumatic stress include:

• Neglect.

• Physical and psychological abuse.

• Sexual abuse.

• Natural devastators.

• Terrorism or public violence.

• War events.

• Awful accidents.

• Life-threatening or malignant diseases.

• Bias and racialism.

• Sexual exploitation.

• Encountering or experiencing partner violence.

• Vigorous death of loved ones.

• Family-allied stressors like death, injury, illness, or parental deployment.

• Poverty and home deprivation.

What Are the Signs of Childhood Traumatic Stress?

However, short-term distress and emotional flashbacks are almost universal after exposure to a traumatic event. In addition, the one presents the following symptoms.

Preschoolers:

• Fear.

• Fear of detachment from parents.

• Yelling and crying.

• A decrease in appetite and weight.

• Acting out or throwing temper tantrums.

• Nightmares.

Primary Schoolers:

• Fear and anxiety.

• Sleep deprivation.

• Social retirement.

• Impairment in the concentration of academics.

• Guilt or shame.

• Distress interferes with daily functioning.

Middle and High Schoolers:

• Depressed feeling.

• A sense of isolation.

• Prone to eating disorders and self-injurious behaviors.

• Alcohol and drug abuse.

• Increased sexual activity.

• Suicidal ideation.

What Are the Effects of Childhood Traumatic Stress?

The effects of childhood traumatic stress include:

• Learning disorders.

• Cognitive illnesses.

• Diabetes.

• Heart diseases.

What Incorporates the Management of Childhood Traumatic Stress?

Childhood traumatic stress can be managed effectively by one or a combination of the following treatment options.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Cognitive behavioral therapy is the first choice of intervention for depression, anxiety, stress, and any mental health illnesses. The intervention focuses on discerning and changing thinking patterns attributable to the behavior. Cognitive processing therapy (CPT), a subdivision of CBT, has been employed and is effective against post-traumatic stress concerning the effects of traumatic events in children. It relies on identifying, addressing, and helping the person alleviate unhelpful thoughts related to trauma.

• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT): This is also a subtype of cognitive-behavioral treatment involving principles of humanity and CBT. It holds evidence of effectiveness over post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in children. It is a time-limited intervention comprising sixteen to twenty sessions. It is trauma-focused as the client is allowed to open up about their traumatic events in a narrative manner in safe settings. The TF-CBT aims to reinforce the ability of children to withstand and respond to their traumatic experiences and memories.

• The Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI): It is a short-term therapy involving the family and caregivers, about four to six sessions. The intervention directs relieving symptoms, increasing the bond between children and caregivers, developing coping skills, and overcoming external triggers.

• Trauma Affect Regulation-Guide for Education and Therapy (TARGET): As the name implies, the intervention is all about education and treatment. It fixates both prevention and intervention against post-traumatic stress. The highlight is that TARGET helps people identify and utilize their strengths to tackle the stressors of daily life.

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): A type of CBT that underlines the ‘dialectic’ referring to issues, thought processes, and behavioral ways of the intervention. The therapist teaches how to live the day by overcoming past events, stressors, and relationship conflicts.

• Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): It is an evident-based approach that relies on eight phases: history, examination, treatment, and evaluation. The therapy manipulates repetitive eye movements for management. The memories from adverse traumatic events they have are considered dysfunctional, so the therapy aims to direct these memories while helping tackle them.

• Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET): This is the therapy for trauma disorders, exceptionally multiple complex traumas. It operates on recognizing the trauma exposures and placing them in an autobiographical framework called a timeline. The client holds the timeline throughout and after the process. While NET and TF-CBT rely on narrative aspects, they can be alternatively employed.

• Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE): By exposure, the therapy assists in defying traumatic experiences, feelings, fears, and circumstances. It usually lasts three months but is designated disparately for children, teens, and adolescents.

• Art Therapy: Art therapy is all about creative methods of expressing oneself through art media, like drawing, collaging, painting, and sculpting. It aims at healing the client by improving self-esteem and self-awareness.

• Play Therapy: The therapy reaches out to children aged three to twelve and utilizes play as an intervention. The therapist explores the child through play activities; thus, intervention is reframed accordingly.

How to Cope With Childhood Traumatic Stress?

As a parent, teachers, and caretakers, there is an obligation to encourage children by helping them tackle dilemmas. So, here are some strategies to help children or loved ones cope with traumatic stress.

• First, if the child is experiencing trauma, reassure the particular event is over and the child is in safer hands.

• Know the children by paying attention to their concerns, whatever they may be.

• Validate thy concerns.

• Be conscientious about re-exposure to memories or events. It may include pieces of stuff like books, TV shows, games, snaps, or places.

• Teach coping skills and assist them in practice.

• It is vital to spend time with them, and it is more important to have a positive time together.

• The teens enduring traumatic stress might seem vulnerable, anxious, and aggressive for even small things which require attention.

• Aid them in using their strengths in daily tasks and functioning.

• Change their mood by shifting the habitat to peaceful music, stories, and TV programs.

• Aid in recreation and mindfulness activities.

• When in severe cases, seek professional help.

Conclusion

Childhood traumatic distress affects the basic bustle, sleep, temper, diet, and regimen. The healthcare professional advises certain evidence-based therapeutic approaches after perceiving the condition and the event behind it. Therefore, the management aims towards alleviating the symptoms, unlearning the memories, and improving the self.