Behavioral and Developmental Effects of Trauma
Without help and support, children often develop a variety of negative coping
responses to traumatic stress.
A child’s response to traumatic stress may manifest across multiple domains of
functioning and developmental processes, including emotional, behavioral,
interpersonal, physiological, and cognitive functioning.
Trauma
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Can alter biological stress systems and adversely effect brain development,
cognitive and academic skills, and language acquisition
Changes in the levels of stress hormones similar to those seen in combat
veterans
Undermines brain development and affects different areas of the brain at
different stages of development
Can have serious consequences for the normal development of a child's
brain, brain chemistry, and nervous system
Attachment
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Traumatized children feel that the world is uncertain and unpredictable
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Their relationships can be characterized by problems with:
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Boundaries
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Distrust
o
Suspiciousness
As a result, traumatized children can become socially isolated and have
difficulty relating to and empathizing with others
Biology
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Traumatized children demonstrate biologically based challenges, including:
o
Problems with movement and sensation
o
Hypersensitivity to physical contact
o
Insensitivity to pain
They can have problems with:
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Coordination
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Balance
o
Body tone
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Unexplained physical symptoms
o
Increased medical problems (e.g., asthma, skin problems, and
autoimmune disorders)
Mood Regulation
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Children exposed to trauma can have difficulty regulating their emotions. One
of the signs to look for is whether a child has the ability to self soothe or
exhibit coping skills
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Children have difficulty:
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Knowing / Identifying feelings
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Describing feelings and internal states
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Describing wishes and desires to others
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Regulating his/her mood
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Showing coping skills
Dissociation
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Some traumatized children experience a feeling of detachment or
depersonalization, as if they are “observing” something happening to them
that is unreal
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They can also withdraw from the outside world or demonstrate amnesia-like
states
Behavioral Control
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Traumatized children can demonstrate:
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Poor impulse control
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Self-destructive behavior
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Aggression towards others
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A heightened awareness of potential dangers to themselves or others
Traumatized children can also manifest child traumatic stress through:
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Bodily reactions such as fast heart rates, churning stomachs or
sweatiness
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Sleep disturbances including dreams of the events that have occurred
o
Eating disorders
Cognition
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Traumatized children can have problems:
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Focusing on and completing tasks
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Planning for and anticipating future events
o
Understanding their own contribution to what happens to them
Some traumatized children demonstrate:
o
Learning difficulties
o
Problems with language development
Self-Concept
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Traumatized children can experience the lack of a continuous, predictable
sense of self
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May develop a stutter
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Traumatized children frequently suffer from:
o
Disturbed body image
o
Low self-esteem
o
Shame
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Guilt
Effects of Trauma in Young Children
Behavioral Consequences
Young children who have experienced trauma may:
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Become passive, quiet, and easily alarmed
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Become fearful, especially regarding separations and new situations
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Experience confusion about assessing threat and finding protection,
especially in cases where a parent or caretaker is the aggressor
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Regress to recent behaviors (e.g., baby talk, bed-wetting, crying)
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Experience strong startle reactions, night terrors, or aggressive outbursts
Developmental Consequences
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Child traumatic stress reactions vary by developmental stage
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Children who have been exposed to trauma expend a great deal of energy
responding to, coping with, and coming to terms with the event
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This may reduce children’s capacity to explore the environment and to master
age-appropriate developmental tasks

The longer traumatic stress goes untreated, the farther children tend to stray
from appropriate developmental pathways
Effects of Trauma in School Age Children
Behavioral Consequences
In school-age children, trauma undermines the
development of brain regions that would normally
help children:

Manage fears, anxieties, and aggression
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Sustain attention for learning and problem
solving
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Control impulses and manage physical
responses to danger, enabling the adolescent
to consider and take protective actions
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As a result, children may exhibit:
o Sleep disturbances
o New difficulties with learning
o Difficulties in controlling startle reactions
o Behavior that shifts between overly fearful and overly aggressive
Developmental Consequences
School-age children with a history of trauma may:
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Experience unwanted and intrusive thoughts and images
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Become preoccupied with frightening moments from the traumatic experience
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Replay the traumatic event in their minds in order to figure out what could
have been prevented or how it could have been different
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Develop intense, specific new fears linking back to the original danger
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School-age children may also:
o Alternate between shy/withdrawn behavior and unusually aggressive
behavior
o Become so fearful of recurrence that they avoid previously enjoyable
activities
o Have thoughts of revenge
o Experience sleep disturbances that may interfere with daytime
concentration and attention
Effects of Trauma in Adolescents
Behavioral Consequences
In adolescents, trauma can interfere with development of the prefrontal cortex,
the region responsible for:

Consideration of the consequences of
behavior
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Realistic appraisal of danger and safety
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Ability to govern behavior and meet
longer-term goals

As a result, adolescents who have
experienced trauma are at increased risk
for:
o Reckless and risk-taking behavior
Effects of Trauma
In adolescents
• Behavioral Consequences
• Developmental Consequences
• Risk of Substance Abuse / Risky Behaviors
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o Underachievement and school failure
o Poor choices
o Aggressive or delinquent activity
Developmental Consequences
In response to trauma, adolescents may feel:
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They are weak, strange, childish, or “going crazy”
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Embarrassed by their bouts of fear or exaggerated physical responses
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They are unique and alone in their pain and suffering
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Anxiety and depression
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Intense anger
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Low self-esteem and helplessness
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These trauma reactions may in turn lead to:
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Aggressive or disruptive behavior
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Sleep disturbances masked by late-night studying, television watching, or
partying
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Drug and alcohol use as a coping mechanism to deal with stress
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Over- or under-estimation of danger
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Expectations of maltreatment or abandonment
9
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Difficulties with trust
Increased Risk of Re-Victimization
Adolescents are at a higher level of risk especially if he/she has lived with chronic
or complex trauma.
Adolescents who have experienced trauma may use alcohol or drugs in an
attempt to avoid overwhelming emotional and physical responses. In these
teens:

Reminders of past trauma may elicit cravings for drugs or alcohol
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Substance abuse further impairs their ability to cope with distressing and
traumatic events
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Substance abuse increases the risk of engaging in risky activities that could
lead to additional trauma
Child welfare workers must address the links between trauma and substance
abuse and consider referrals for relevant treatment(s).