What is the impact of trauma?
The events that refugees experience related to war or persecution can all be called “traumatic events.” Children are very resilient and can often cope with difficult experiences in healthy and productive ways. These children may not display any symptoms from their experiences and may not need intervention on the part of service providers. However, for some children, exposure to traumatic events can have a profound and lasting impact on their daily functioning. The impact of exposure to traumatic events on children may be different depending on the child’s age and stage of development.
General signs of distress related to exposure to traumatic events exhibited by children of all ages can include:
- stomachaches, headaches
- pains in the body that don’t seem to have a physical cause
- crying a lot
- feelings of hopelessness
- fear or anxiety
- nightmares
- sadness or grumpiness
- trouble paying attention
- jumpiness
- trouble falling asleep or sleeping too much
- thoughts about the traumatic event(s) that won’t go away
- getting upset when things happen that remind him/her about the traumatic event(s)
- avoidance of thinking or talking about anything that reminds him/her of the traumatic event(s)
- lack of desire to play with others or take part in activities that he/she used to enjoy
- acting like the traumatic event(s) is happening right now (when it is something that occurred in the past)
For more information about the impact of trauma on children please visit the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
What are the age specific effects of trauma?
There are some signs of distress as a result of exposure to traumatic events that are more specific to a child’s developmental stage.
For example, preschool children may experience:
- bed wetting
- thumb sucking
- acting younger than their age
- trouble separating from their parents
- temper tantrums
- aggressive behavior like hitting, kicking, throwing things, or biting
- not playing with other kids their age
- repetitive play revolving around events surrounding trauma exposure
Elementary school children may experience:
- changes in their behavior such as aggression, anger, irritability, withdrawal from others, and sadness
- trouble at school
- trouble with peers
- fear of separation from parents
- fear of something bad happening.
Middle school and high school aged youth may experience:
- a sense of responsibility or guilt for the bad things that have happened
- feelings of shame or embarrassment
- feelings of helplessness
- changes in how they think about the world
- loss of faith
- problems in relationships including peers, family, and teachers
- conduct problems
For more information about the age specific effects of trauma on children please visit the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
