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Traumatic event   

Overview

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Definition:
An experience that causes physical, emotional, or psychological distress or harm to a child. An experience that is perceived by the child as a threat to his safety or to the stability or integrity of his world. May include physical injury or illness, separation from parents (perceived abandonment), death of a friend or family member or even a pet, divorce of child's parents, hospitalization, a move to a new locale, anxiety, fear, pain, or loss of trust.

Car accidents, assaults, and surgery are traumatic events for most people. Many events are experienced by children as traumatic. In fact, it is difficult for adults to realize that events that do not concern us may be very traumatic for the child. A child with a broken arm may assume that his arm cannot be fixed, yet adults may have no way of knowing that the child is even imagining such a thing.

Parents can reduce the negative emotional responses to events that the child perceives as traumatic by preparing the child. Discussions, visits, pictures, videos, and play are activities that can introduce the upcoming experience to the child. Health care professionals are a good source of information regarding events that may be traumatic for the child, such as receiving injections (shots), or other experiences that are new, painful, or frightening.

Even after an event is over, the experience and memory of the experience may remain traumatic for the child. It is helpful to discuss the events and feelings with the child. Children need time, support, and safety to re-establish a sense of trust and safety. Experiences that have traumatized a child will usually cause signs of anxiety, including an increased need for physical and emotional closeness, fear of separation, difficulties sleeping, loss of appetite, bed wetting, or changes in interactions with others.

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