NCJ Number
130522
Date Published
1985
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This chapter discusses the traumatic consequences for the child who witnesses any of three types of violence: the murder of a parent, the rape of a mother, and the suicidal act of a parent.
Abstract
After reviewing background data that describes the extent of childhood exposure to violent acts in the United States, this chapter identifies the psychological stresses on the child witness. The chapter then summarizes the authors' clinical observations of the children's responses, namely, the immediate effect of the violence on the children, the early efforts at mastery, the resultant symptomatology or behavior, the issue of accountability, the influence of mediating factors on recovery, and the potential long-term consequences of the trauma. The authors report that approximately 80 percent of over 100 uninjured children who witnessed any one of the three types of violent acts exhibited a characteristic pattern of post-traumatic stress disorder. This involves the re-experiencing of the traumatic event; in young children this often takes the form of traumatic play and dreams as well as intrusive images or sounds. There is often psychic numbing or affective constriction; children may exhibit subdued or mute behavior or adopt an unemotional or third-person detachment from the event. The child witnesses are also likely to suffer from startle reactions and avoidant behavior linked to trauma-specific reminders, and they may be especially susceptible to sleep disturbances. 50 references