Children & Adolescents' experience of loss and trauma

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTii

DECLARATIONiii

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW1

Epidemiology of trauma8

The impact of trauma9

Answer conditioned fear10

Altered Cognitions10

Post-traumatic symptoms in children and adolescents12

Symptoms13

Children and Adolescents Traumatized by Sexual Abuse17

Traumatic stress20

REFERENCES22

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

Freud initially believed that trauma plays an important role in the development of psychopathology in children. Breuer and Freud argued that hysterical symptoms are due to repressed memories of traumatic events. Over time, however, Freud came to believe that the conflict over the fantasies and desires, rather than a true story of a trauma, pathogens. In recent decades there has been a slow but steady understanding of Freud's initial assessment was correct and that the trauma is actually at the root of both childhood psychopathology. (Wolfelt 1996, 36)

Children suffering from trauma, grief and loss and face numerous barriers are more vulnerable to risk factors for physical abuse, emotional difficulties, social and educational. A support program that offers services to help children and their families cope with these risk factors. Disasters are upsetting to everyone affected. Children lose temporarily their worldview as a safe and predictable. They fear that what happened happen again and that they or their family being injured or killed. For most children find difficult to understand the damage, injuries and deaths that may arise from an unexpected or uncontrollable. The way a parent or other adult reacts to a child after a traumatic event can help children recover faster and more completely. This booklet includes general information to help in this task. (Steinberg 1997, 123)

Children are afraid of the unknown. They are afraid of being alone. After a disaster, may begin to act as if they were younger than they do. It may appear previously common behaviors such as thumb sucking, clinging to parents or afraid of people who do not know. It is possible that older children who were independent now want to spend more time with family. Some children express their fear through physical symptoms like stomachaches or headaches or feeling "sick". All children may have trouble thinking. Can be distracted easily become confused and disoriented and have difficulty concentrating. These can be reactions to smells, objects or activities associated with the trauma. The child may not be aware of the causes of these reactions or behavioral changes. Anxiety and fear of children are real, are not shown on purpose (Wolfelt 1996, 36).

Children who are unexpected, sudden and exposed to man-made violence seem ...