3/30/2024 0 Comments Young child ocd sign of traumaWhile incidences of dissociative reactions among young children are not available, and measurement of dissociation among young children has varied ( Hulette, Fisher, Kim, Ganger, & Landsverk, 2008), a substantial number of young children exposed to trauma experience dissociation reactions. ![]() The duration of the dissociative state may vary greatly where loss of reality orientation may or may not occur (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Such trauma-specific reenactment may occur in play” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. Such reactions may occur on a continuum, with the most extreme expression being a complete loss of awareness of present surroundings. Research is needed to help caregivers, evaluators, and clinicians understand how young children express dissociative reactions in order to better identify these occurrences.ĭissociative reaction is defined as “(e.g., flashbacks) in which the child feels or acts as if the traumatic event(s) were reoccurring. If caregivers are not able to identify dissociative reactions in young children, then young children with PTSD may be underdiagnosed and possibly not treated. Most diagnostic interviews for PTSD for young children occur with caregivers since young children are often not able to report their symptomatology ( Stover & Berkowitz, 2005). However, for all age groups, the number of symptoms required for intrusion symptoms is one of five intrusive symptoms, e.g., distressing memories, distressing dreams, dissociative reactions, psychological distress to trauma cues and physiological reactions to trauma reminders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition (DSM-5) includes specific diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for children 6 years and younger that are developmentally specific and include fewer total number of symptoms for the PTSD diagnoses (4 total symptoms for young children versus 6 for older children and adults). ![]() Young children exposed to trauma may experience intrusive symptoms, including dissociation reactions (e.g., flashbacks), in different ways than older children and adults (American Psychiatric Association, 2013 Scheeringa, Zeanah, Myers, & Putnam, 2003). Themes, descriptions and phrases to describe dissociative reactions in young children after trauma can be used to help parents and professionals more accurately identify occurrences of dissociative reactions. Caregivers also expressed their own reactions to the child’s dissociative episode due to not understanding what was occurring, and trying to interrupt the occurrences (e.g., calling out to the child). For dissociative episodes, caregivers noted that the child not only seemed psychologically somewhere else (e.g., distant and not there) but also would be physically positioned somewhere else (e.g., sitting and not responding). For flashbacks, caregivers reported that it seemed as if the child was re-experiencing the trauma (e.g., yelling specific words, and having body responses). ![]() Common themes to flashbacks and dissociative episodes included being triggered, being psychologically in their own world (e.g., spaced out, shut down), and displaying visible signs (e.g., crying and screaming). Interviews were transcribed to identify themes of dissociative reactions in young children. Based on results from the interview, 45.9% of the children had dissociative reactions (8.5% had flashbacks and 41.9% had dissociative episodes). The current qualitative study utilized interviews from a semi-structured diagnostic clinical interview with 74 caregivers of young children (age 3 to 7) who were exposed to trauma to identify parents’ descriptions of their children’s dissociative reactions during a clinical interview. There is limited research on the phenomenology of how young children who have been exposed to trauma express the intrusive symptom of dissociative reactions.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |