There are several main categories or types of trauma that are important to know about: 

  • Acute trauma-A single traumatic event that lasts for a short time (for example- car accident, dog bite, tornado).  

  • Chronic trauma-When multiple traumatic events occur, usually over a long period of time (for example-multiple incidents of sexual abuse, ongoing witnessing of domestic violence). 

  • Complex trauma-This is a specific type of chronic trauma that includes experiencing multiple traumatic events from a young age and usually caused by adults who were supposed to care for and protect the child 

  • Neglect-The failure of a caregiver to provide for a child’s basic needs. It is considered a trauma especially for an infant or young child who is completely dependent on adults. Neglect can also increase the likelihood of exposure to other types of traumatic events  

  • Historical trauma-Personal or historical event(s) or prolonged experience(s) that continues to have an impact over several generations. (for example-slavery, removal from homelands or relocation, forced placement in boarding schools, massacres, genocides, or ethnocides) 

  • Systemic Oppression-The mistreatment of people within a specific group, supported and enforced by society and its institutions. These are not usually acute events, but often ongoing. This mistreatment is usually based on personal identity or belonging to an oppressed group and includes discrimination, micro-aggressions, gender-based discrimination, and health disparities  

 

 Can COVID-19 be considered a traumatic event? 

  • COVID-19 is a very different type of crisis 

  • Infectious disease outbreaks are unlike other traumatic or distressing events 

  • The impact of COVID can be traumatic for many as it is a chronic crisis with stressors that are chronic, silent, and impactful on multiple levels 

  • Some examples of potential stressors:  

  • Health of loved ones 

  • Health of self 

  • Separation from family/Social Isolation 

  • Food insecurity 

  • Job insecurity 

  • Moral distress  

  • Anticipatory and/or traumatic grief 

  • Discrimination based on ethnicity/culture 

  • Vicarious trauma through media exposure 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where does racial injustice fit into the discussion of trauma? 

  • Prior to the events in 2020, the NCTSN developed a position statement on Racial Injustice and Trauma: African Americans in the US (https://www.nctsn.org/resources/racial-injustice-and-trauma-african-americans-us-nctsn-position-statement) 

  • In this document, the NCTSN indicates that trauma-focused interventions to serve children and families in the United States in the 21st century must incorporate the current and historical context in which they live. Despite progress, the legacy of slavery has been carried forward in many areas of American society, including the racially related injustices that persist, such as mass incarceration, and the lethal violence directed disproportionately toward African Americans.  

  • The statement suggests that to work towards ending the cycle of trauma and violence, it is necessary to acknowledge both how racism and oppression are embedded in American society, and to understand how the massive historical trauma of slavery continues to shape the lives of individual children, families, communities, and the systems with which they interact. As with all forms of trauma, the human tendency is to avoid or split off awareness and emotions related to a traumatic past. A critical part of trauma intervention is about overcoming such taboos and making the unspeakable, speakable.  

  

Watch:  

Watch the four-minute clip from an NCTSN site where youth share with other youth about the definition and impact of complex trauma: 

 


Last modified: Wednesday, 6 January 2021, 10:01 PM