The Impact of Post-Traumatic Stress and Psychological Disorders (Term Paper Sample)

Child Study
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Child Study
For positive learning, children need an environment that is free from threats. Schools are obliged to identify the needs of an individual child. These requirements may vary from psychological to mental, and may emanate from past traumatic experiences, or even from other factors that are here referred as secondary experiences. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) and psychological disorders like depression and anxiety may un-noticeably hamper the holistic child development. Data collected from research studies suggest that children whose parents are incarcerated are vulnerable to academic, behavioral, and emotional problems, not forgetting future involvement with the criminal justice system CITATION Yag15 \l 1033 (Yager, 2015). These sufferings may manifest in educational delay, severe mental illnesses and disaster-related stress reactions. A typical case of problem witnessed in children is that of reactions to traumatic experiences. Child exposure to trauma-causing disaster, related prior exposure to violence, or pre-existing conditions and educational delays may lead to PSTD CITATION Cat15 \l 1033 (Ferguson, 2015). Children may suffer silently from a complexity of such experiences, albeit without the notice of the school administrators or the parents. Such will adversely affect their mental health and, thus, their educational achievements. Such children tend to be resilient but regain their previous state of psychological functioning as order returns in their life. With this in mind, it follows that regardless of the source the mental health needs of the child must be addressed and met. Therefore, schools should routinely conduct screening to identify the various needs of their pupils.
Incarceration and exposure to traumatic incidences are tragic to child development. Children who fall victims of these destructive occurrences have higher chances of
developing depression and of being diagnosed with learning disabilities. Research shows that cases of paternal incarceration more likely led to mental and physical health problems while maternal incarceration led to depression in the children CITATION Lee13 \l 1033 (Lee, 2013).
Children with PSTD ought to undergo a therapy aimed at helping them recover. Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is one whose results have proven successful. An evidence-based approach, it helps the victims, regardless of age, to overcome problems related to the traumatic incidence. TF-CBT therapists help by reducing negative emotional and behavioral responses to the trauma. Distorted beliefs and attributions of the trauma are treated using learning and cognitive theories. This therapy is integrative in the sense that it combines three form of cognitive, behavioral, and family treatments. Further, in pursuit to treating multiple traumas, it is non-discriminative as it embraces environmental and cultural diversities. This treatment is recognized as the most efficient in the treatment of traumatized children.
Another approach in seeing to the healing of traumatized children is Trauma Focused- Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS). This proven intervention is school-based CITATION Lee13 \l 1033 (Lee, 2013). Another is the Class-Based Intervention (CBI) for the treatment of PSTD.
One thing is very clear from the available literature. The three interventional approaches are oriented to the learning environment in a bid to improve child welfare services. Consequently, they aim at correctional results such that the traumatized child can recover and succeed in life and educational matters. In so doing, the victim of the
trauma can learn how to cope effectively with their emotional distress. On the other hand, differences arise between the three therapies. TF-CBT yielded better results for traumatized children with PSTD, who did not respond to the school-based therapies CITATION Jud09 \l 1033 (Cohen, 2009). It is also an ideal therapy for traumatized adolescents. It also offered plausible solutions for victims who exhibited high levels of anxiety, depression and shame or abuse-related dysfunctions. It is, however, an inappropriate intervention approach for children and adolescents whose primary problems existed before the trauma. It also has limitations in offering workable solutions for traumatized children with acutely suicidal problems, or those who are active substance abusers. The Classroom-Based Intervention (CBI) on the other hand offered as a universal response. Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) offered selective solutions for those with lingering problems CITATION Jud09 \l 1033 (Cohen, 2009).
These studies have made successful attempts at resolving issues related to child abuse. Children subjected to abuse at their tender age display negative emotional and behavioral responses. They also have maladaptive beliefs and attributions that are linked to the traumatic incidences. Child protection must be offered to ensure a reduction of trauma and recollection of the shattered life of the child. Child protection must, therefore, offer an environment to the child that is free of threats. During the justice and restoration phase of child protection, a multidisciplinary team must collaborate towards minimizing any further trauma for the child. Based on historical records of traumatized children, adolescents, and adults, these studies have tried to delve into the topic in an attempt to offer...