Nadine Burke Harris at TEDMED: "How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime".

Trauma that occurs during childhood or adulthood can have life-long effects, especially if it happens chronically.

Trauma is an experience that is life-threatening or emotionally harmful that has negative effects on someone's life and well-being. When most people think of trauma, they think of acute trauma, a one-time stressful event that poses a threat to someone's life. This can be something like surviving a car crash or being a victim of a crime. However, less people know about complex trauma. Complex trauma occurs when someone has repeated exposure to dangerous events that changes the way they see themselves and others. Some examples include child maltreatment (emotional or physical neglect and/or abuse), absence of basic needs, unsafe housing, or repeated threats of violence (NCSTN, n.d.). Families living in poverty are more likely to experience multiple forms of trauma at the same time, putting them at further risk of developing chronic trauma related disorders.

Some signs that a child or adult may be experiencing complex trauma include insecure attachment styles, frequent headaches and stomachaches, unpredictable or explosive emotional expressions, impulsivity, or low self-esteem (NCSTN, n.d.). When complex trauma interferes with a child's ability to safely develop and attach themselves to a caregiver, it leads to developmental trauma. This affects how they feel safe in relationships in the future.

 

 

NCTSN on how developmental trauma affects young people: "Never give up: A complex trauma film by Youth for Youth".

So far in the field, interventions have been designed to address complex trauma, such as Trauma Adapted Family Connections (TA-FC) and Integrative Treatment of Complex Trauma (ITCT). But there are not enough licensed clinicians who use these strategies to treat complex trauma. With an increase of families who are at risk for complex trauma and child maltreatment, clinicians who are trained to treat complex trauma are needed more than ever. With Fam-TREAT, our goal is to increase the amount of trauma-informed clinicians so that at-risk families can get the help they need. 

Visit the Research and Treatment pages to see what we're doing about it. 

To learn more about different types of childhood trauma, visit the NCTSN (National Child Traumatic Stress Network):

https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types

 


Sources:

Collins, K., Connors, K., Davis, S., Donohue, A., Gardner, S., Goldblatt, E., Hayward,
A., Kiser, L., Strieder, F. Thompson, E. (2010). Understanding the impact of trauma and urban poverty
on family systems: Risks, resilience, and interventions. Baltimore, MD: Family Informed Trauma
Treatment Center. Retrieved from https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources/resource-guide/understanding_impact_trauma_urban_poverty_family_systems.pdf

Harris, N. B. (2015, February 17). How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime | Nadine Burke Harris | TED. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95ovIJ3dsNk

National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). (n.d.). Complex Trauma. NCTSN. Retrieved from https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types/complex-trauma

National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). (n.d.). Effects. NCTSN. Retrieved from https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types/complex-trauma/effects

National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). (n.d.). Interventions.  NCTSN. Retrieved from https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types/complex-trauma/interventions

Peterson, S. (2018, April 19). Never give up: A complex trauma film by Youth for Youth. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. https://www.nctsn.org/resources/never-give-complex-trauma-film-youth-youth

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2014). SAMHSA’s Concept
of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. HHS Publication No.
(SMA) 14-4884. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration. Retrieved from https://ncsacw.acf.hhs.gov/userfiles/files/SAMHSA_Trauma.pdf.