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How
Harmful Is Childhood Trauma?
“Children are resilient, right?” Though children can
often successfully bounce back from emotional trauma, certain
conditions strongly influence the extent of the emotional damage. The
following questions highlight the most important of these conditions: Is the painful event a single blow or a recurring/
pervasive experience? Unless very severe, the single blow traumas generally
do not change the course of a person’s emotional life. In contrast,
recurring or pervasive experiences gradually mold and give shape to a
child’s emerging personality. If the day-in, day-out experiences are
negative, the painful effects can be deeply etched into a child’s view
of the world, her attitudes toward others, and enduring beliefs about
herself. Does the painful event also undercut or destroy a
child’s primary support network? For example, sexual molestation by
a neighborhood boy, although quite traumatizing to a child, is probably
less damaging than molestation by a parent — where the primary giver
of care and protection has now become a victimizer. How traumatic is the painful event?
It
would be convenient to be able to rate severity of events in a clear,
quantifiable manner such as is done in rating the intensity of
earthquakes. However, what matters most is not the event per se, but how
the child perceives the event, i.e., the particular meaning of the event
to the child experiencing it. A 7.0 earthquake centered in downtown San
Francisco is infinitely more destructive than another 7.0 earthquake
occurring in a remote wilderness area. According to psychologist James
Garbarino, children seriously hurt in auto accidents or sporting events
experience much less emotional trauma than if the same degree of
physical injury were inflicted by an abusive parent. To what degree has the emotionally painful event
resulted in rather massive personality changes? The
basic core of emotional pain is bad enough, but some events (especially
if pervasive, long lasting, and/or severe) can lead to marked changes in
self-concept, negative perceptions about the world, and altered
lifestyles. Generally speaking, the earlier in life one encounters
pervasive or severe trauma, the more likely that the events may alter
subsequent personality development. What resources does the child have to turn to in
times of distress? Intact families, open expression of feelings and
nurturance, and appropriate role models of healthy emotional functioning
can make a crucial difference as a child attempts to heal and recover
following major stressful events. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adapted from
Survivors: Stories and Strategies
to Heal the Hurt, by Dr. John Preston. Available at online and local
bookstores or directly from Impact Publishers, Inc., PO Box 6016,
Atascadero, CA 93423-6016, www.bibliotherapy.com
or phone 1-800-246-7228. |