About Trauma

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, childhood trauma is defined as: “The experience of an event by a child that is emotionally painful or distressful, which often results in lasting mental and physical effects.”

The most common causes of childhood trauma include:

• Accidents
• Bullying/cyberbullying
• Chaos or dysfunction in the house (such as domestic violence, parent with a mental illness, substance abuse or incarcerated)
• Death of a loved one
• Emotional abuse or neglect
• Separation from a parent of caregiver
• Sexual abuse
• Stress caused by poverty
• Sudden and/or serious medical condition
• Violence (at home, at school, or in the surrounding community)
• War/terrorism

No one can predict how each individual child will react. That’s why it is so important for parents and caregivers to monitor their children’s behaviors and check in regularly on what’s happening in their worlds.

Traumatized children tend to show signs that they are feeling fearful and vulnerable.

Some common behaviors that may signal trauma for older children include: