Running Head: CHILDRENS MENTAL HEALTH 1

Childrens Health: Effects of Traumatic Experiences on Mental Health

Melissa Fraher

University of Texas at El Paso

CHILDRENS MENTAL HEALTH 2

Abstract

The mental health of adults begins in early childhood and can be heavily impacted by

traumatic experiences. Neglect and abuse is seen in many American households and

occur more than what was once thought. It is secretly deteriorating the mental health of

our children and, as they get older, our nation. This Literature Review will cover how

neglect and different abuses can impact a childs mental health. Statistical information

will be provided to show the enormity of this issue. The Advocacy Center for the

Children of El Paso provides services to children who have fallen victim to physical and

sexual abuse. They provide a safe and friendly environment and keep these kids from

falling through the judicial cracks. An interview conducted with someone who works at

the advocacy center will give more insight to who the center treats and how often abuse is

seen in the El Paso community.

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Childrens Health: Effects of Traumatic Experiences on Mental Health

An issue that has been seen in the media and known in our society is negatively

impacting the mental health of children, and leaving them scarred into adulthood. Neglect

and physical, emotional, and sexual abuse can leave children with psychiatric disorders

well into adulthood. (Gregorowski and Seedat, 2013) Alexa Joyce, published author

in Family Court Review, states that divorce is a form of child neglect. (Joyce, 2016)

Most communities have an organization that provides help for children going

through traumatic experiences including El Paso. The Advocacy Center for Children of

El Paso is a private and non-profit organization that seeks judicial justice for children

while also providing medical and counseling services. The center opened its doors in

December of 1996 to an 18-month-old baby girl and has been helping the community

since. While most people understand mental health issues can arise from traumatic

experiences, it is unclear how severe and often these occur. In order to fully understand

this, there are four questions to ask the advocacy center itself:

1. What defines a traumatic experience?

2. What is the average age of a child accepted into the center?

3. Why would a child be placed with the center and under what circumstances would

the child be brought again to the center?

4. What services does the center provide children?

What defines a traumatic experience?

A Google search of traumatic experience is, A traumatic event is an incident

that causes physical, emotional, spiritual, or psychological harm. (Cafasso, J) This can

leave a lasting impression and cause someone to become anxious, threatened, and scared
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throughout his or her life. After interviewing a woman, who has worked in the Advocacy

Center for Children of El Paso for five years and has also asked to remain anonymous

and will be given the pseudonym Karen from here on out, describes a traumatic

experience as an event that physically, mentally, and emotionally causes a feeling of

distress, and also added that the feeling does not totally have to be conscious. She

recalled of cases where the child did not know why he or she was feeling a certain way.

(Personal communication)

According to an article written by Jacquelyn Cafasso and medically

reviewed by Doctor Steve Kim, examples of traumatic experiences are death of a loved

one, divorce, abuse, rape, and parental abandonment. The advocacy center assists

children who are victims to sexual and physical abuse while also seeking judicial justice

for them. In cases of divorce, children are neglected by their parents as either one or both

of the parents are unable to meaningfully and contractually attend to their childrens

needs. (Joyce, A. N.) Karen described a situation in which a father was abusing his

children, which resulted in the childs other filing for divorce. Both parents were too

distracted by their own conflicts and trial to see the impact the divorce was having on

their children. (Personal communication) This is an often occurrence seen at the

Advocacy Center for Children of El Paso.

What is the average age of a child accepted into the center?

The center treats an average of over four thousand children a year with the

average ages between six and twelve years old. Cases consisting of children under five

and older than twelve years of age are commonly treated at the advocacy center, as well.

Karen described treating young children and toddlers as disappointing and opens her
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eyes to the evilness of some people. Most of the cases seen and treated are due to

physical and sexual assault.

According to Jean Piagets Cognitive Theory, children between the ages seven

and twelve, the most abundantly age treated at the advocacy center, is when organized

and rational thinking is developed. If this is affected by a traumatic experience in a

childs life, organized and rational thinking could be majorly impacted and could hurt the

person in later years of their life. The Center for Disease Controls Adverse Childhood

Experiences (ACE) study discovered childhood abuse is more common than

originally thought and costs America more money than heart disease and cancer. By

eradicating child abuse in America the overall rate of depression (will be reduced) by

more than half, alcoholism by two-thirds, and suicide, serious drug abuse, and domestic

violence by three quarters. (Kolk, B.)

Why would a child be placed with the center and under what circumstances would

the child be brought again to the center?

A child would be brought into the center if they were in need of judicial justice

from any kind of abuse. Most circumstances where a child is repeatedly brought in is due

to follow-up visits though Karen explained a child, just recently, has been brought in

three times but could not reveal any more information on the subject as the case is still

active. When asked if the situation would affect him mentally, she replied, I hope not

but I think it will.

Of the two thirds of the adults in the ACE study that indicated one adverse

experience, the majority indicated two or more childhood experiences. (Kolk, B) Physical

and emotional neglect often times accompanies other types of abuse. Abuse also does not
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happen in a single occurrence and is often seen to start at infancy and continue into

adolescence. There is also a higher chance of a parent or guardian abusing their own child

if they were abused themselves. More often than not, most cases do not consist of solely

physical abuse or emotional abuse.

What services does the center provide children?

The Advocacy Center for Children of El Paso assist children who have fallen

victim to sexual and physical abuse. One of the centers main focuses if seeking judicial

justice and ensures children do not fall through cracks in the judicial system. Other

services the center also provides are therapy, informational referrals, care packages,

assistance in filing claims, letters, translations for non-English speaking families, and

follow up services. Children can also be traumatized by investigations conducted

surround their situation. To combat this, the center provides a safe and friendly

environment for children and tries to keep that constant throughout the multiple

interviews and forensic interviews associated with many cases. The advocacy center uses

collaborative agencies and to keep the childs best interest in mind.

The ways on treating the effects of traumatic experiences can vary among

patients, while one treatment may work wonders on one person, it may not work at all for

someone else. Learning to harness the brains neuroplasticity and which treatment

regarding it will be the key to treating abuse. (Kolk, B) Psychiatry faces the challenge

on, how that is best done, whether through re-education, corrective experiences,

pharmacological manipulation, or brain/computer interface technology. (Kolk, B)

Social communication is also essential to development and healing of a victim of abuse

and/or traumatic experiences. This is supposed to come from parents, but when that is the
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cause of the abuse, there needs to be an outside source to provide it.

Conclusion

Traumatic childhood experiences can greatly impact a childs mental health and

follow them into their adult lives. Up until the past five years, those who did not

understand or cared to understand would sweep mental illness under the rug. Recently,

though, mental illnesses are seen more abundantly and more often that not, stem from

experiences as a child. Neglect and physical, sexual, and emotional abuse will affect a

child and their developing brains. Most communities have a place like the Advocacy

Center for the Children of El Paso that fights for the justice these children deserve and

provides services for them to make the process easier.

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References

Cafasso, J. (2016, January 28). Traumatic Events. Retrieved October 19, 2017, from

https://www.healthline.com/health/traumatic-events#overview1

Joyce, A. N. (2016). High-Conflict Divorce: A form of Child Neglect. Family Court

Review, 54(4), 642-656. doi:10.1111/fcre.12249

Kolk, B. (2016). Commentary: The devastating effects of ignoring child maltreatment in

psychiatry - a commentary on Teicher and Samson 2016. Journal Of Child

Psychology & Psychiatry, 57(3), 267-270.

McLeod, S. (1970, January 01). Saul McLeod. Retrieved October 19, 2017, from

https://www.simplypsychology.org/concrete-operational.html

(n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2017, from

http://www.novabucks.org/otherinformation/childabuse/