Trauma and Resiliency

by Heather Byrns, LMHC, Mental Health Access Coordinator with Riverside Communtiy Care and Project INTERFACE at the Freedman Center for Child and Family Development at MSPP and Melissa Moses, PsyD candidate at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology

As more attention focuses on the impact of trauma on children, adolescents, and adults, at times it is difficult to differentiate between dangerous or scary situations and traumatic events. In addition, it can be difficult to assess normal versus problematic reactions to those experiences. People live with dangers on a daily basis and, over time, gather information to be able to manage or avoid danger and make their lives safer. However, danger becomes traumatic when the event or situation overwhelms the ability to cope with what has happened.

Children and adolescents can experience trauma when they: experience a serious injury to themselves or the injury or death of someone else; face the imminent threat of harm to themselves or someone else; or endure a violation of personal or physical well-being. These situations are considered acute traumatic events because the situations are short-lived. Examples could include the sudden or violent death of a loved one, a serious accident (e.g. car accident), a physical or sexual assault, or a natural disaster. Short-term traumatic situations often bring forward feelings for everyone of terror, horror or helplessness.

In other cases, children or adolescents may experience a chronic traumatic situation, in which the trauma occurs repeatedly over long periods of time. Examples include long-standing physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence, or living where there is warfare. More prolonged exposure to trauma can lead to feelings of intense fear, loss of trust in others, a decreased sense of personal safety, guilt and shame.

More than twenty years of studies have confirmed that school-age children and adolescents can experience the full range of posttraumatic stress reactions that are seen in adults. Recent studies show that traumatic experiences affect the brains and behavior of even very young children, causing reactions similar to those seen in older children and adults.

Unfortunately, everyone will experience distressing situations in their lifetime and it is normal to be affected by the emotional and physical reactions to these experiences. Depending on their age, children respond to traumatic stress in different ways. Many children will experience disturbed sleep or nightmares, difficulty paying attention and concentrating, anger and irritability, withdrawal from family or friends, repeated and intrusive thoughts, and extreme distress when confronted by anything that reminds them of their traumatic experiences. Much like some adults, children may also want to avoid any situation, person or place that reminds them of what happened, or may even report “forgetting” some of the worst parts of what they experienced. Finally, as children and adolescents deal with the traumatic stress, they may also experience physical symptoms including recurring headaches or stomachaches, or being more easily startled or jumping at noises more than before. While it is normal to experience these reactions immediately after a trauma, prolonged distress could indicate that a child needs additional support to heal from the event(s).

Some children may develop psychiatric conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and a variety of behavioral disorders. (To find out more about this, look at our page on PTSD). However, many children experience acute or chronic traumatic situations and do not develop symptoms of PTSD. Researchers have founds that children who have experienced trauma without developing PTSD have “resilience.” Resilience is “the process of, or the capacity for, successful adaptation despite challenging or threatening circumstances.”

Fostering Resilience

Children need to become resilient to overcome the many adversities they face and will face in life. However, they cannot do it alone. They need adults who know how to promote resilience and who are becoming more resilient themselves. Across studies, the most consistent predictor of resilience for high-risk children is a safe and nurturing bond with at least one person: a grandmother, teacher, sibling, parent, etc. Peer relationships are also important as resilient children have at least one close friend and are able to maintain relationships over time.

Research also illustrates the importance of communicating positive expectations to young people. This can include age-appropriate roles of responsibility as they may help the child develop a sense of efficacy. Other family factors include faith or religious practices, reliable emotional support from caregivers, and encouragement of emotional expressiveness. Additionally, children and families do better when they receive support and connection from the larger community. The availability of family, friends, or neighborhood resources may lesson the burdens of stressed families.

Resiliency can also be fostered at school. Children who feel connected to their school do better. School factors that can increase feelings of connection include emphasizing children’s strengths, awareness of the importance of feedback and praise, availability of roles that promote trust, academic and behavioral expectations, and positive relationships between children and teachers.

Helping foster resiliency varies by a child’s age and abilities. For very young children, it is important that a caring adult is available to them, ideally someone they have a strong attachment with, who can meet their needs and help provide structure and consistency. For elementary school aged children, it is helpful for them to feel that they have some ability to do things on their own, especially things they feel they do well, which can vary from being helpful in the classroom or at home to being recognized for their athletic or creative abilities. As children grow into adolescence, it is especially important that they feel a sense of personal responsibility in their decision making and are able to feel that they can exert control over at least some aspects of their lives. This continues to be true as adolescents grow into adulthood, and a strong sense of self-efficacy and self control, as well as encouraging individuals to recognize their accomplishments, helps foster resiliency in the face of trauma.

In assisting children or adolescents who have experienced a trauma, Edith Grotberg’s model can be useful in helping to overcome adversities. Her model explains that children draw from three sources of resilience labeled: I HAVE, I AM, I CAN. While the example below is general, parents, teachers, or mental health professionals can work with children or adolescents to individualize it to identify strengths and reinforce that they have what they need to be resilient.

I HAVE

  • People around me I trust and who love me, no matter what
  • People who set limits for me so I know when to stop before there is danger or trouble
  • People who show me how to do things right by the way they do things
  • People who want me to learn to do things on my own
  • People who help me when I am sick, in danger or need to learn

I AM

  • A person people can like and love
  • Glad to do nice things for others and show my concern
  • Respectful of myself and others
  • Willing to be responsible for what I do
  • Sure things will be all right

I CAN

  • Talk to others about things that frighten me or bother me
  • Find ways to solve problems that I face
  • Control myself when I feel like doing something not right or dangerous
  • Figure out when it is a good time to talk to someone or to take action
  • Find someone to help me when I need it
While experiencing traumatic events is an unfortunate aspect of growing up, children who are able to benefit from consistent, positive interaction with adults and who develop the skills necessary for resiliency can avoid long-term emotional or behavioral impairment. Additionally, parents, schools, and the larger community can support children and adolescents and help them successfully navigate the dangers they may encounter.

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Disclaimer: Material on the Project INTERFACE web site is intended as general information. It is not a recommendation for treatment, nor should it be considered medical or mental health advice. Project INTERFACE urges families to discuss all information and questions related to medical or mental health care with a health care professional.