Palejowe ABC - TRAUMA

Trauma, understood as psychological trauma, is a condition caused by a situation that threatens a person's life or health. It is the kind of experience that has outgrown our ability to cope.

An event that we define as traumatic has several characteristics: it is dangerous, threatens our health or life, a person is exposed to it directly or witnesses such an event, and has a sense of loss or lack of control over the situation. Thus, the so-called traumatic stressor can be a traffic accident, natural disasters, assault, domestic violence, as well as procedures involving the violation of a child's bodily integrity, such as surgery. The occurrence of such an event does not automatically mean that a person will develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Usually people are able to cope with difficult events, even if they can be categorized as traumatic ones.

Traumatic events can negatively affect a person's functioning. By making it difficult to live daily life, to interact with other people, they gradually deprive a person of the joy of life. They can also impede the healing process and slow down the pace of physical recovery.

Children exposed to traumatic experiences may still experience terror, helplessness or fear long after the event, as well as out-of-body reactions such as an accelerated heartbeat, intense sweating and even vomiting, which occur in response to remembering the traumatic event. There may also be difficulty concentrating, a strong need to move certain parts of the body (e.g. moving the leg, manipulating the hands, tapping the fingers), memory and learning problems. On the other hand, the child may completely withdraw from activities and isolate from the world.

After a frightening experience, the child may be constantly accompanied by a sense of danger. This leads to difficulty sleeping, as well as violent reactions to neutral or non-threatening stimuli such as accidentally touching a child or the sound of a phone.

What to pay attention to after leaving the hospital?

In children and adolescents:

- younger children may need more proximity to a parent,
- sometimes children have difficulty with separation (even as short as a parent going to another room or bathroom),
- they may want to hold a parent's hand or snuggle with him or her all the time,
- they may also have difficulty falling asleep and wake up more often at night (through nightmares or night terrors),
- appetite may decrease,
- children may become more alert and react with anxiety to gentle touch or sounds,
- may complain of somatic complaints, such as abdominal pain or headaches,
- may develop a fear of strangers,
- reluctance to go to kindergarten or school (which was not present before),
- greater quarrelsomeness, reacting to conversation with shouting or crying.

At the parents:

- a tendency to be overly cautious and bail the child out even when the child can (and wants to) do something on his own,
- blaming oneself for the child's pain and suffering,
- fear of taking care of the child (related to fear of hurting the child).

Usually these disturbing signals pass within days or weeks of a difficult event. However, if they prolong and negatively affect daily functioning and well-being, it is worthwhile to seek medical and/or psychological consultation.

What helps?

- Providing support as needed at the time (listening, understanding, giving guidance if necessary);
- emphasizing that emerging emotions are okay and the child has a right to them;
- ensuring physical and emotional safety;
- ensuring that the child has influence and control over at least some of the things that will happen during the day;
- having the opportunity to share his or her experiences, feelings and emotions.

The last point is important not only for children, but also for parents, who are sometimes tired and overloaded and need another adult to take into account what they are experiencing.