PTSD in Little Ones and Teenagers Lives - Term Paper Example

Experience of Children and adolescents with PTSD Name Institution Date Summary This paper provided a discussion on the experience of children and adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The risk factors and characteristics of PTSD have been identified and discussed. The various approaches used to treat children and adolescents with PTSD have also been provided, followed by conclusive remarks about the entire discussion. Introduction Children and adolescents often develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when they are traumatized psychologically. Traumatic events are incidents in the life of human beings that are viewed as shocking, sudden, terrifying, and that are a threat to individual’s safety, life, or integrity (Black, Woodworth, Tremblay, & Carpenter, 2012). Some of the traumatic events children and adolescents experience include sexual, physical and emotional abuse. Witnessing an abuse or crime, or being a victim of crime in the household including surviving a natural disaster may also lead to PTSD disorders in children and adolescents (Black et at., 2012; Daniel, Georges, Jude-Mary, & Val, 2014). The concept of PTSD was first introduced by the American Psychiatric Association in its Diagnosis and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-III) (Bridget, 2014, p.341). Initially, it was used to express soldiers’ reactions towards stress during battles. Currently, it is perceived as a disorder affecting abused individuals. PTSD is a chronic disorder that makes children and adolescents distressed, and affect their educational and social functioning (Trickey, Siddaway, Meiser-Stedman, Serpell, & Field, 2012). This paper discuses the risk factors and symptoms associated with PTSD, and the approaches of treatment used with children and adolescents experiencing the disorder. Risk factors Risk factors for developing PTSD are categorized into two types: those that increase the possibility of being exposed to a potentially traumatizing situation and those that increase the possibility of developing symptoms associated with traumatizing events (Milan, Zona, Acker, & Turcios-Cotto, 2013). According to Bosk (2011) chronic medical illness is one of the risk factors for the development of PTSD including anxiety disorders. Children and adolescents are at risk of developing anxiety disorders due to response to a threatening environment and other psychosocial factors. Prevalence of anxiety disorders is often higher in children and adolescents experiencing PTSD compared to those who have not experienced traumatizing events (Bosk, 2011). A meta-analysis conducted by Trickey, Siddaway, Meiser-Stedman, Serpell, and Field (2012) identified the risk factors for PTSD to originate from the post-trauma and environment features of the participants. Children and adolescents with PTSD are exposed to risks factors, such as blame others, comorbid psychological issues, distraction and thought suppression. It is likely for children and adolescents who have experienced traumatizing events to blame others for the situations. Such feelings may ruin their relationships with the people they belief were behind the event. In this case, children and adolescents seem not to be able to accept what happened and move forward (Trickey et al., 2012). Psychological problems associated with PTSD among children and adolescents include anxiety and depression (Bosk, 2011; Trickey et al., 2012). All these risk factors are significant, but the most predictive symptom of PTSD is depression. According to Trickey et al. (2012) comorbid psychological problems are serious risk factors for PTSD in traumatizing events that are intentional compared to those that are not intentional. The reason why children and adolescents who experience intentional trauma are more exposed to psychological problems is due to the possibility that they could be living in environments that are toxic. Characteristics of post-traumatic stress disorder Normally, after experiencing an immediate traumatizing event, children and adolescents are seen to be weepy, distressed, frightened and even shocked. This is a challenging experience and the victims require protection and safety (Yule, 2001). Almost immediately after a traumatizing event, most children and adolescents may repeatedly experience intrusive thoughts about the incident. Intrusive thoughts occur at any time, but are most reported when children are quiet (Spuij et al., 2012). Sometimes these thoughts develop when children and adolescents see reminders in the environment where the traumatizing event took place. Children may also experience flashbacks about the accident by reporting that they are re-experiencing the encounter as if it is happening for the second time (Yule, 2001; Carr, 2004). Some children and adolescents may also report problems sleeping due to disturbances, especially during the first weeks of the event. Such children may develop bad dreams and due to fear of the dark they may keep on waking up through the night (Carr, 2004; Yule, 2001). Thus, children are disturbed and may not have peace of mind. Difficulties in separation are another characteristic of PTSD among children and adolescents. During the first few days of the incident, children tend to be attached so to their parents and may not accept to be left out of the sight due to fear (Daniel, Georges, Jude-Mary, & Val, 2014). Also, the survivors may not be willing to discuss about the experience with parents or peers. In addition, PTSD is characterised by change in cognitive abilities. Children and adolescents often experience problems in concentration and in some cases memory problems in respect to remembering things and mastering what they are taught in school (Yule, 2001). Many children and adolescents develop fears towards certain aspects of the traumatizing event. In this case, they desist from situations they link with the event. To some extent, children may feel guilt of having survived when other people died (Spuij et al., 2012; Carr, 2004). Thus, they develop thoughts that they could have done something to help those who lost their life. According to Daniel et al. (2014) adolescents who have been traumatized report high level of depression and some may develop suicidal thoughts and much anxiety. Review treatment approaches used in children and adolescent The PTSD affects the emotional, educational, social and biological development of children and adolescents, therefore it is important to use treatments that help prevent there occurrence (Bosk, 2011). One of the treatment approaches includes cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This is considered to be an effective method of treating PTSD in children and adolescents with medical illness as it helps reduce PTSD symptoms (Bosk, 2011). Carr (2004) argues that traumatizing events may cause children and adolescents to adopt pessimistic beliefs concerning the world, themselves, others and the future. Such consequences can be eliminated through cognitive restructuring. In this case, the survivors are requested to not only identify, but also to express the post traumatic beliefs they hold (Carrion, Wong, & Kletter, 2013). The main objective to this approach should be to ask and convince children and adolescents with PTSD that their beliefs about the world are far from the truth (Carr, 2004). However, this may not be an easy task as indicated by Bosk given that the children and adolescents actually survived or witnessed the traumatizing event. Critical Incident Stress Debriefing is another treatment approach that can be used in children and adolescents with PTSD (Yule, 2001). This technique is used with groups of children and adolescents who have experienced different types of traumas. During this process, group leaders can initiate a structured discussion with children to enable them share experiences felt during various traumatizing events (Carr, 2004). When effectively undertaken, this form of treatment can help reduce the levels of fears and intrusion in children and young adults. However, the problem with structured crisis intervention is that use of inappropriate exposure sessions that leave the participants aroused may sensitize then instead of helping to reduce the anxiety (Yule, 2001). Coping skills training can also be used to help children and adolescents recover from trauma. In this case, they can be taught how to manage anxiety which is associated with nightmares and flashbacks (Carr, 2004). It also incorporates learning cognitive copping and relaxation skills. Conclusion Conclusively, children and adolescents who have experienced traumatizing events develop PTSD. These are disorders that expose children and adolescents to distress and also affect their social and educational experiences. Risks of PTSD include anxiety disorders, blaming others, comorbid psychological issues, distraction and thought suppression. Children and adolescents with PTSD are reported to be experience flashbacks, fear, intrusive thoughts, sleeping disturbances, separation difficulties and cognitive problems. However, these problems can be managed through CBT, cognitive restructuring, Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and coping skills training. From the discussion, it is reasonable to argue that children and adolescents who are traumatized should be assisted through nursing interventions to help them cope with the situation and lead normal life. References Black, P. J., Woodworth, M., Tremblay, M., & Carpenter, T. (2012). A review of trauma-informed treatment for adolescents. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 53(3), 192. Bosk, A. (2011). Anxiety in medically ill children/adolescents. Depression and anxiety, 28(1), 40-49. Bridget, A. F. (2014). From soldiers to children: developmental sciences transform the construct of posttraumatic stress disorder, Early Child Development and Care, 184(3), 340-353. Carr, A. (2004). Interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 7(4), 231-244. Carrion, V. G., Wong, S. S., & Kletter, H. (2013). Update on neuroimaging and cognitive functioning in maltreatment-related pediatric PTSD: Treatment implications. Journal of Family Violence, 28(1), 53-61. Daniel, D., Georges, G., Jude-Mary, C., & Val, C. (2014). Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Social Support Among Children and Adolescents After the 2010 Haitian Earthquake, Journal of Loss and Trauma: International Perspectives on Stress & Coping, 19(3), 202-212. Milan, S., Zona, K., Acker, J., & Turcios-Cotto, V. (2013). Prospective risk factors for adolescent PTSD: sources of differential exposure and differential vulnerability. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 41(2), 339-353. Spuij, M., Reitz, E., Prinzie, P., Stikkelbroek, Y., de Roos, C., & Boelen, P. A. (2012). Distinctiveness of symptoms of prolonged grief, depression, and post-traumatic stress in bereaved children and adolescents. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 21(12), 673-679. Trickey, D., Siddaway, A. P., Meiser-Stedman, R., Serpell, L., & Field, A. P. (2012). A meta-analysis of risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents. Clinical psychology review, 32(2), 122-138. Yule, W. (2001). Post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents. International Review of Psychiatry, 13(3), 194-200. Read More