Addressing childhood trauma in a developmental context
Date
2013-06
Authors
Gregorowski, Claire
Seedat, Soraya
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor and Francis
Abstract
With the anticipated publication of the DSM-5 in May 2013, much reflection and work has been done
on reviewing existing psychiatric nomenclature including, but not limited to the field of traumatic
exposure. Traditionally, understanding of the psychiatric and psychological effects of trauma have
been developed from studies with adults and then applied to trauma-exposed children with some
modifications. While this is an important step to understanding the sequelae of trauma in children
and adolescents, the adverse developmental effects of traumatic exposures on the rapidly evolving
neurological, physical, social and psychological capacities of children calls for a developmentally
sensitive framework for understanding, assessing and treating trauma-exposed children. The
importance of early attachment relationships in infancy and childhood means that severely disrupted
early caregiving relationships may have far-reaching and lifelong developmental consequences and
can therefore be considered traumatic. Given the high rates of violence and trauma exposure of South
African children and adolescents, the need for a developmentally based understanding of the effects
of trauma on child and adolescent mental health becomes even more pronounced. In this paper, we
draw on theoretical perspectives to provide a practical, clinically driven approach to the management of
developmental trauma.
Description
Publication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund.
The original publication is available at http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rcmh20/current#.UfYgj6xL5nU
The original publication is available at http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rcmh20/current#.UfYgj6xL5nU
Keywords
Psychic trauma in children, Traumatism -- Psychological aspects
Citation
Gregorowski, C. & Seedat, S. 2013. Addressing childhood trauma in a developmental context. Journal of Child & Adolescent Mental Health, :1-14, doi:10.2989/17280583.2013.795154.