Buildling Resiliency in Children

Childhood should be the safest time of our lives. While we are doing the hard work of growing, developing, and learning, we should be able to play, have fun, feel loved, and be safe with no worries about food, clothing, and shelter. Unfortunately, this is not the situation for many of our children of today. Millions of children in the United States alone, experience some kind of traumatic event each year. These traumatic events take many forms. The events could be related to abuse, neglect, witnessing violence, car accidents, death of a friend or family member, natural disasters, or a whole host of other possibilities.

Just what does the impact of trauma look like for a child? This varies greatly based on each individual child. Factors that influence the symptoms include: the magnitude of trauma, how much of a threat does the child perceive the crisis event to be, previous trauma experienced, family stability, mental health of the child and immediate family members, and social supports available to the child. Numerous studies have examined the long term impacts of childhood trauma. Perhaps one of the best known studies is the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) study* that was conducted by the CDC. This study indicates that childhood trauma impacts the functioning and health into adulthood.  Generally speaking, symptoms of trauma in children may include sleep disturbances, trouble focusing, anxious jumpiness, clinginess, bed wetting, persistent fears, emotional numbness, anger and aggression.

The good news is that we can build our children’s resiliency to trauma before a crisis event ever occurs or speed recovery after a traumatic event . The methods are actually quite simple. Take time out every day to listen to and talk with your child. Just ten minutes a day increases self-esteem and self efficacy.  Build routines into every day life. Routines establish a sense of stability and safety. Spending time with the children in your life establish firm foundations for positive attachment in all relationships. Be sure that your child has opportunity to connect with others whether it be extended family members, peers, or other adults who act as positive role models and mentors.  These few simple steps can go a long way in making childhood be that safe and creative time that we, as human beings, need in order to build healthy lives.

*for more information about the ACE study please visit http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/index.html