Delayed Response To Trauma

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

Ukraine has been living in a state of armed conflict for several years. During this period of time, many adults have suffered severe psychological trauma. Throughout the entire time since the beginning of the conflict, psychologists have written and talked a lot about the consequences of psychological trauma in children. The difficulty lies in the fact that if a child, say, is injured, then he is immediately provided with assistance. Doctors closely monitor the wound and can tell exactly when recovery has come. Psychological trauma is insidious. It often has a delayed effect. Those. immediately after the experienced traumatic event, the child's state and behavior may not change at all, or the manifestations and symptoms of the trauma may be expressed insignificantly, or the parents do not associate the changes in the child's standing with the trauma. The consequences of trauma can be clearly manifested months or even years after the traumatic event.

It should be understood that children are not always able to describe their condition and the feelings that they have in words. Not so long ago, a sociological survey was conducted, during the survey it was possible to establish that only 50% of children in direct contact with a psychologist could talk about the traumatic experience they had received. For children, due to age characteristics, it is difficult to differentiate the condition and establish cause-and-effect relationships (trauma-consequences), in some families there is an unspoken prohibition to talk about past events, young children simply do not have enough vocabulary to describe their condition. It should also be remembered that the child's psyche activates defense mechanisms, including repression, i.e. the child supplants the memories of the trauma. In this case, the child may not directly remember events or a series of traumatic episodes, but experience very strong "suddenly" feelings that have appeared. These powerful feelings can provoke fear, turning into horror, sometimes completely irrational (i.e., at the moment, the child is objectively not threatened by anything); panic attacks, accompanied by fear, palpitations, a feeling of heat or cold; various depressive conditions; nightmares. Also, strong feelings can arise in a child during contact with various triggers. For example, while on a peaceful territory, he saw a person in military uniform or heard a smell reminiscent of a traumatic event. Or, during the sudden shelling, I was eating my favorite strawberries. A year later, the mother brings berries and puts them in front of the child, and he begins to have a panic attack. Or a completely calm teenager, in the event of a threat from a classmate, experiences completely uncontrollable anger and pounces on the boy with fists, unable to stop. In some cases, the child begins to suffer from various diseases, ranging from acute respiratory viral infections, ending with more serious ones. A very social, sociable child suddenly turns into a recluse, any contact with children, adults and even a relative is painful for him. A child's cognitive processes can slow down and decrease. The child may become too impulsive or, on the contrary, try to control their own reactions, while looking completely calm. In the case of a delayed reaction to a traumatic event, the child's risk of developing PTSD increases dramatically. Only a specialist can accurately determine the condition and causes of certain reactions of the child or the symptoms that have appeared.

It is important for parents to realize that every child is more vulnerable and at risk of injury than an adult. First of all, because children feel powerless to influence the situation, they do not have enough life experience to cope with difficult events, they do not have enough of their own resources, especially if close adults themselves are in a difficult state and cannot provide support to the child. Also, for children, due to age characteristics, it is difficult to distinguish between reality and fantasies about the events taking place. A child can perceive the world around him as hostile, full of dangers and be in fear all the time. In this regard, the child's attitude towards people in general and prospects for the future may change.

If the child displaces a traumatic event, i.e. the child does not remember at all about the experience, the trauma continues its destructive effect on mental and physical health. Therefore, not mentioning the traumatic event by the child is not an accurate indicator that the psyche has completely "processed" the traumatic experience and the consequences will not appear in the future.

An adult can face all of the above. If you or your loved ones have experienced a traumatic event and you observe alarming changes in yourself or other family members, do not wait and hope that the problem will "resolve" by itself! Seek help from specialists. This will help not only improve your condition in the present, but also save you from developing negative consequences in the future!