ABOUT                                                                

Children can be exposed to a range of traumatic experiences. Sometimes, youth may feel highly threatened by an event, and have reactions that negatively affect their daily lives.

Examples of traumatic events include:

• Car accidents

• Life-threatening injuries

• Dangerous fights

• Terrorism

• Physical or sexual abuse

• Medical emergencies

• Deaths of loved ones

• Natural disasters (e.g., hurricane, tsunami)

• War

Youth who have a hard time coping with these events may experience difficulties including sadness and anxiety. At the same time, not all children encounter such challenges and many youth are able to overcome these situations. However, if your child appears to be having a hard time adjusting to a traumatic event long after it has occurred, you may want to take them to a doctor for an evaluation. If untreated, traumatic stress can cause impairment in a child’s family, school, and social life. Thankfully, there are proven and effective treatments to address these challenges and families should make every effort to begin treatment as soon as possible.

WHAT A PARENT WOULD NOTICE IN THEIR KEIKI

After a traumatic experience, it is common for youth to show:

• Agitated or confused behavior

• Intense fear

• Helplessness

• Anger

• Sadness

• Horror

• Denial

• Emotional numbing (dissociation)

• Avoidance of situations or places that remind them of the trauma

• Withdrawal

Some children may also re-experience the trauma by:

• Having repeated memories of the event (or acting out the event during playtimes)

• Having scary dreams about the event

• Feeling like the event is happening again

• Feeling scared or sad when they think about the event

Children with difficulties with traumatic stress may also:

• Worry about dying young

• Be unable to have fun

• Have physical pains (e.g., stomachaches, headaches)

• Have sleep difficulties

• Be irritable

• Have difficulties concentrating

• Act younger than their age (for example, clingy or whiny behavior, thumbsucking)

• Be more alert than usual

FACTS

• 1 out of every 4 children will experience a traumatic event by age 16 years

• 3-10 million children are exposed to domestic violence in the United States every year

• Approximately 14% of youth clients in the Hawaii Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division receives treatment for traumatic stress every year

See What Works:

Parent Education
Tangible Rewards
Cognitive
Maintenance/Relapse Prevention
Child and Youth Education
Relaxation
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Parents Included
Trauma-Focused CBT
Exposure
Modeling

RESOURCES

Local support groups

• Project Kealahou

  • Project Kealahou is currently in the process of updating its web series. Please check back later for updates!

Resources for talking to children about traumatic events:

• American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry – Terrorism

• American Academy of Pediatrics – Coping & Terrorism

• Childcare Aware of America – Mass Shooting and Violence Resources

• NCTSN – Community Violence

• NCTSN – Coping in Hard Times: Fact Sheet for Community Organization and Leaders

• NCTSN – Gun Shooting and Child Trauma

• NCTSN – LGBTQ Issues and Child Trauma

• NCTSN – LGBTQ Youth: Voices of Trauma, Lives of Promise (video)

• NCTSN – LGBTQ Youth and Trauma: Information for Mental Health Professionals

• NCTSN – Natural Disasters & Terrorism

• NCTSN – PFA-S: Recommendations for School Staff

• NCTSN – Psychological First Aid for Schools

• NCTSN – Parent Guidelines for Helping Youth after Recent Shooting

• NCTSN – Restoring a Sense of Safety in the Aftermath of a Mass Shooting

• NCTSN – Safe Spaces: Safe Places for Traumatized LGBTQ Youth (video)

• NCTSN – Secondary Traumatic Stress

• NCTSN – Terrorism

• SAMHSA – Coping after Disaster or Traumatic Event: Guide for Parents, Caregivers and Teachers

• U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs- A Veteran’s Guide to Talking with Kids about PTSD

Bullying

• APA – Bullying

• CDC – Bullying Research

• SAMHSA – Know Bullying App

Other resources about Trauma

• Mental Health America (MHA) — Crisis Resource Center

• National Center on the Sexual Behavior of Youth (NCBSY)

• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminstration (SAMHSA) – Mass Violence

• U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs – PTSD and ASD

• VetoViolence

Information for this site has been obtained from the following resources:

• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

• National Institutes of Mental Health 

• National Child Traumatic Stress Network:

• CAMHD Annual Evaluation