What is Trauma?

“Traumatized people chronically feel unsafe inside their bodies: The past is alive in the form of gnawing interior discomfort. Their bodies are constantly bombarded by visceral warning signs, and, in an attempt to control these processes, they often become expert at ignoring their gut feelings and in numbing awareness of what is played out inside. They learn to hide from their selves.” (p.97)”
― Bessel A. van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

The American Psychological Association (APA) defines trauma as an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape, or natural disaster. Those types of events narrowly define the catastrophes many young people face daily. In 1966 the Equality of Educational Opportunity Study revealed that the home environment was more predictive of academic success than school instruction. Even with this early knowledge, interestingly enough, it took until 2013 for the definition of trauma to take on a broader lens to include the wide range of environmental, interpersonal, and experiential events that can result in trauma-induced symptoms.

Kristen Souers defines trauma as “an exceptional experience in which powerful and dangerous events overwhelm a person’s capacity to cope” (2016). This definition takes into account the impact trauma can have on a person’s ability to function when certain situations occur. Another interesting part of trauma is that everyone responds to trauma differently. When encountering the death of a loved one, one student may be come sad and detached while another may develop an unhealthy attachment to someone else to replace their loss. Another person may become quiet, withdrawn, and apathetic while another person may be angry, hostile, and violent.

Types of Trauma

As previously mentioned, not all people who have experienced trauma respond in the same way. There is a spectrum upon which trauma survivors exhibit their reactions. They may become withdrawn or aggressive. It depends on the person and the situation. There are also different types of trauma a person can be exposed to.

Acute Trauma

Acute trauma results from a single stressful or dangerous event (Leonard, 2020, p.3). For instance one may be involved in a car accident or death of a loved one. Acute trauma refers to trauma brought on by a single, isolated event. Although, it is based on one event it can still cause considerable and significant symptoms.

Chronic Trauma

Chronic trauma results from repeated and prolonged exposure to highly stressful events. Examples include cases of child abuse, bullying, or domestic violence (Leonard, 2020, p.3). Studies show that children exposed to chronic trauma have a higher risk of mental health disorders, poor academic achievement, and higher odds of becoming a juvenile offender (VeryWellHealth.com, n.d.).

Complex Trauma

Complex trauma results from exposure to multiple traumatic events (Leonard, 2020, p.3). Additionally, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network’s Complex Trauma Task Force’s white paper entitled Complex Trauma in Children and Adolescents defines complex trauma as “the simultaneous or sequential occurrences of child maltreatment-including emotional abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and witnessing domestic violence-that are chronic and begin in early childhood.”

Adverse Childhood Experiences

Research shows that up to two-thirds of U.S. children have experienced at least one type of serious childhood trauma, such as abuse, neglect, natural disaster, and experiencing or witnessing violence. Minahan states trauma is possibly the largest public health issue facing children today (2019).

Dr. Vincent Felitti and Dr. Robert And a conducted the first long term, significant research study about the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on adult health outcomes. Their research revealed a powerful relationship between our emotional experiences as children and our physical and mental health as adults. They were able to document the frequency of trauma in the lives of over 17,000 adults.

Felitti and Anda discovered the following list of ACEs:

1. Emotional abuse
2. Physical abuse
3. Sexual abuse
4. Physical neglect
5. Emotional neglect
6. Substance abuse in the household
7. Mental illness in the household
8. Mother treated violently
9. Divorce or parental separation
10. A household member in jail

The total number of adverse experiences in a person’s life is that person’s ACE score. The highest possible ACE score a person can receive is a 10. Through Felitti and Anda’s research it was discovered that ACEs were extremely common. Sixty seven percent of the study’s participants had at least one ACE while 12.6% had four or more ACEs. The higher the ACE score, the more likely the young person will experience emotional and mental challenges in their lives.

The National Survey of Children’s Health study on ACE revealed 45% of students have experienced at least one ACE. This means at least 45% of students could potentially display symptoms of traumatic stress. To put it all into perspective, a student with four or more ACEs is at risk for academic and behavioral challenges.`

Wendy Ellis and Bill Dietz’s research explores how ACEs correlate to the communities children live in. Their study is called the Adverse Community Environments. The symptoms of the Adverse Community Environments include the following:

• Poverty
• Discrimination
• Community disruption
• Violence
• Lack of opportunity or economic mobility and social capital
• Poor housing quality
• Unaffordable housing

Kenneth V. Hardy has written about the hidden wounds of racial trauma and how it has lead to racial oppression. He identified five hidden wounds of racial trauma:

1. Internalized devaluation
2. assaulted sense of self
3. internalized voicelessness
4. the wound of rage
5. the sense of being a nobody

As time goes on, researchers and scholars realize there are new adverse childhood experiences including the over-identification and disproportionate number of students being punished in our schools, especially those students of color.

Reflective Moment: Before moving on to the next lesson, please complete the attached Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) survey to find your ACE score. Reflect on how your childhood may have mirrored that of your student or was totally different from their experience. Feel free to download and share this resource with your colleagues.

Trauma’s Prevalence in Education

Students spend on average, around 1,000 hours a year in school. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network found that one out of every 4 children attending school has been exposed to a traumatic event that affects their learning and/or behavior. Traumatized students are more likely to display problems with self-regulation, negative thinking, being on high alert, difficulty trusting adults and engaging in inappropriate social interactions (Minahan, 2019). These behavioral challenges can lead to school disengagement, lower GPAs, high rate of school absences, below grade level performance, disciplinary actions such as suspensions, class failures, and increased drop out rates (Hurless & Kong, 2021).

Exposure to traumatic events can cause jumpiness, intrusive thoughts, interrupted sleep and nightmares, anger and moodiness, and/or social withdrawal. During a child’s early years, these events can affect attention, memory, and cognition. As a student in class it can interfere with their ability to effectively solve problems, organize, and process information. These can all lead to feelings of frustration and anxiety.

All of this can cause problems in classrooms as some educators may see these behaviors as a student’s way to challenge their authority. Often this view can lead to misunderstandings, failed attempts at interventions, and missed learning opportunities. In reality, the student feels unsafe which makes it difficult for them to learn. Throughout this course, you will learn the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to provide high quality education and support student success.