Childhood Trauma and Neurological Development

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Childhood is a time for playdates and learning, a time for big dreams and imaginary adventures. Safety and security should not be questions that linger in uncertainty. However, this is not the case for many children across the globe. Thousands of children from all walks of life each day are faced with unspeakable horror and must deal with the resulting trauma from then on. However, in children, managing this trauma takes a different toll on the mind and heart than it does in adults. While the type of trauma may vary in pervasiveness across countries, trauma occurring in childhood has the ability to cause long term damage to the growing neurological functioning in the brain and negatively influence children’s spiritual development, wounding their relationship with God. Unfortunately, childhood trauma is a massive problem throughout the world. In the United States, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2011) noted in their study that 26% of American children below the age of four will witness a traumatic event or experience a traumatic event themselves. Finkelhor , Turner, Ormrod, Hamby, and Kracke (2009) conducted a survey on US children and found that in the large sample of children they studied, almost 50% had been assaulted in the last year, 24% had been in families that had been robbed, 10.2% had been abused either physically, emotionally, or psychologically, and 6% of children had been sexually abused. Hopper (2013) reported that in Egypt and the Sudan, 3 million females, children and adults, are forced to undergo mutilation to their genitals. Further down, Pawelczyk (2012) reported for UNICEF that in South Africa physical violence to children is widespread. She recorded that the South Af... ... middle of paper ... ... Health and Human Services, Office of Applied Studies. (2011). Helping children who have experienced traumatic events (SMA-11-4642). Retrieved from website: http://www.samhsa.gov/children/samhsa_short_report_2011.pdf Trocme, N., Fallon, B., MacLaurin, B., Vandna, S., Black, T., Fast, E., Felstiner, C., Helie, S., Turcotte, D., Weightman, P., Douglas, J., & Holroyd, J. Public Health Agency of Canada, (2008). Canadian incidence study of reported child abuse and neglect 2008. Retrieved from website: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cm-vee/csca-ecve/2008/cis-eci-08-eng.php? Vieth, V. (2010). When faith hurts:overcoming spirituality-based blocks and problemsbefore, during, and after the forensic interview. Center Piece, 2(10), Retrieved from http://ncptc.nonprofitoffice.com/vertical/Sites/{8634A6E1-FAD2-4381-9C0D-5DC7E93C9410}/uploads/{BD1D6100-52CA-4B1C-BFB8-74E78BCD9128}.PDF

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