Transcript Children and Stress In the 21st Century

Children ,Stress, and
Trauma
Presented By:
Consulting Solutions & Associates
Summerville, SC
[email protected]
Agenda
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Describe types of stress
Identify biological factors that can influence
reactions to stress
Discuss Katz’s study on children and stress
Examine traumas children may be exposed to
Describe impact of traumatic stress on the brain in
children
Identify ways to help children after exposure to
traumatic stress event.
Disease of the Century
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Is Stress the Black Death of the 21st
Century?
– “Last night my nine-year old came home
with about two hours of homework”.
– “My teenage babysitter said that the
pressure in our town to get into the right
college is stressing her classmates out to
the point that they can’t sleep and feel
ill”.
Stress
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The body’s response to an event. It
is usually perceived as a strain,
urgency, or pressure. It is an
outgrowth of the flight or fight
response.
THREE COMMON TYPES
OF STRESS
Ordinary Stress
 Developmental Stress
 Unique Life Stress
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ORDINARY STRESS
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The daily stressors of everyday life.
This type of stress includes things like:
waking up, fixing breakfast, getting
yourself to work and kids off to school.
This type of stress can be dealt with in
a number of ways: setting schedules,
using humor to deflect the stress,
organizing yourself
DEVELOPMENTAL STRESS
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This type of stress focuses on learning
new things and changing old habits. It
includes things like: improving your diet
to include good eating habits; learning a
new computer program; taking a course
in school
These stressors are usually short term. If
you are changing a habit, the new
behavior will take over decreasing any
stress
UNIQUE LIFE STRESS
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This type of stress makes demands on the
individual and the family system. It
includes things like: illness, job change,
moving, etc.
Types of Stress &
Children
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What are examples of each type of
stress faced by children?
– Ordinary
– Developmental
– Unique
Stress
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We all experience stress, why might
stress be different for children?
Different Reactions
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Read: Jodi and Danny
In small groups, give examples of
differences in reactions to stress that you
have observed or experienced
Biological Factors &
Stress
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Genetic factors that affect reactions to
stress:
– having an efficient relaxation response.
Relaxation gives you more energy, helping you
to get rid of negative emotions.
– High anxiety levels or emotional instability.
These people tend to experience events more
stressful than healthy people would.
Components of Coping
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How we cope with stress encompasses three
factors:
– Biological/physiological
– Cognitive component
– Learned component
Biological/Physiological
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Flight or fight response which puts the body
into action
Body prepares physically and psychologically
to cope with stressors
Cognitive Component
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How the person appraises the stress
Two types of appraisals occur:
– Primary: conscious evaluation of the
matter (harm, loss, threat, challenge?)
– Second: What can I do about it?
Learned Component
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Social learning through experiences in
one’s life
Question
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How are the lives of children different
today than 25-40 years ago?
What pressures do children
experience?
How are parents different?
What/who is responsible for these
differences?
Traumatic Stress
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Child traumatic stress occurs when
children and adolescents are exposed
to traumatic events or traumatic
situations, and when this exposure
overwhelms their ability to cope with
what they have experienced.
Examples?
Trauma and Children
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About 1 in 4 children experience a
traumatic event by the time they are
18 years old.
Traumatic events can be life
threatening and are bigger than what
children should ever have to
experience.
Newtown, Connecticut
December 2012
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20 children, 6 adults gunned down
Since Newtown
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Taft Union High School, California: 16
year old opened fire with a 12 gauge
shot gun injuring two people
Stevens Institute of Business, St.
Louis: 34 year old shot the financial
director with a semi-automatic pistol
Hazard Community College, Kentucky:
3 people shot and died; .40 caliber
Glock found at the scene
Prior to Newtown
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Mass violence in schools is not new:
– 1927 Bath Michigan: 55 y.o. used
dynamite to blow up school; 45 dead; 58
wounded
– 1979 San Diego; teen girl killed 2 adults,
wounded 8 children and police officer at
school across from her home.
Dr. Langman
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Studied 10 rampage shooters, ages
11-23 (including Columbine and
Virginia Tech)
Identified 3 typologies
Why Kids Kill, Dr. Langman
Three Typologies
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Psychopathic (2): sadistic, narcissistic,
anger management issues, impression
management
Psychotic (5): paranoia, delusions of
grandeur, hallucinations, social
detachment
Traumatized (3): abused, ongoing
stress and loss, unpredictable world
Toxic Stress
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Adverse experiences sustained over a
long period of time; strong, frequent,
and/or prolonged adversity
Examples?
Children and Toxic Stress
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CDC report found that "toxic stress"
can actually change how a child's brain
develops. "Prolonged exposure to
stress hormones can impact the brain
and impair functioning in a number of
ways," the report notes.
Impact of Toxic Stress
– Smaller Brain: Toxic stress can impair the
connection of brain circuits and lead to the
development of a smaller brain.
– Low Stress Threshold: Children can become
overly reactive to adverse experiences
throughout their lives, developing a low stress
threshold.
– Chronic Health Problems: High levels of stress
hormones can suppress the body's immune
response, leading to chronic health problems.
– Learning and Memory: Sustained high levels of
certain stress hormones can damage areas of
the brain important for learning and memory.
Impact of Toxic Stress
The more adverse experiences in
childhood
The greater the likelihood of
developmental delays and later health
problems, including heart disease,
diabetes, substance abuse, and
depression.
Cortisol
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Stress can increase cortisol levels in
the brain
High sustained levels of cortisol can
result in damage to the hippocampus
Damage to the hippocampus can lead
to impairments in learning, memory
and the ability to regulate stress
responses
Cortisol
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Research has shown that the presence
of a sensitive and responsive caregiver
can prevent elevations in cortisol
among toddlers, even in children who
tend to be fearful or anxious
Prevention of Toxic Stress
Response
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Research also indicates that:
– Supportive, responsive relationships with
caring adults as early in life as possible
can prevent or reverse the damaging
effects of toxic stress response
President American
Pediatric Society
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“Rather than saying to the parents, ‘You
are a problem,’ what we have to say to
the parents is, ‘There are some things
going on in your life that are having a
tremendous effect on you and your child.
Let’s see if we can figure out a way to
help and make that situation better.’”
- Robert Block
Emotional Development
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Less focus is placed on emotional
developmental in early childhood
Social competence developed in first five
years of life are linked to emotional wellbeing
Emotional well-being affects the ability of
children to function in school and form
successful relationships throughout life
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child;Children’s Emotional
Development is Built into the Architecture of their Brains. Working Paper 2,
Emotional Development
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“As young children develop, their
early emotional experiences literally
become embedded in the architecture
of their brains”.
“The emotional experiences of
newborns and young infants occur
most commonly during periods of
interaction with a caregiver (such as
feeding, comforting, and holding)”.
Emotional Development
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Core Features:
– Ability to identify and understand one’s
own feelings
– To accurately read and comprehend
emotional states in others
– To manage strong emotions and their
expression in a constructive manner
– To regulate one’s own behavior
– To develop empathy for others
– To establish and sustain relationships
The Toddler/PreSchooler
& Emotional Development
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Emotional health of this group is tied to
their environment; specifically the social and
emotional characteristics of their
environment. They
– Interpret personal experiences and understand
what others are doing and thinking
– Interpret the nuances of how others respond to
them
– Build on foundations that are established earlier
– Mature and acquire a better understanding of a
range of emotions
– Become more capable of managing their
feelings, which is one of the most challenging
tasks of early childhood.
Emotional Foundations
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Children who have acquired a strong
emotional foundation (by the end of the
preschool years):
– Have the capacity to anticipate, talk about, and
use their awareness of their own and others’
feelings to better manage everyday social
interactions.
– Exhibit expanded emotional repertoires (may
include such feelings as pride, shame, guilt, and
embarrassment) all of which influence how
individuals function as contributing members of
a society.
– Develop increasing capacities to use language to
communicate how they feel and to gain help
without “melting down,” as well as to inhibit
Emotional Development &
The Brain
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Circuits that are involved in the regulation of
emotion are highly interactive with those
that are associated with “executive
functions” (such as planning, judgment,
and decision-making), which are intimately
involved in the development of problemsolving skills during the preschool years.
Emotions support executive functions when
they are well regulated but interfere with
attention and decision-making when they
are poorly controlled.
Long Term Affects
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Lack of emotional development in
young children can lead to numerous
difficulties to include:
– Difficulty in developing peer relationships
– Behavioral issues at home and in the
classroom (labeling)
– Difficulty in problem solving, decision
making, and the development of
judgment
Babies and Stress
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Calm parents = calm babies
Baby and Toddler
Stressors
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Basic needs: food, clothing, shelter
Lack of sleep
Chaos, noise
Environmental temperatures
Lack of consistency
Lack of attention
Environmental dangers
Touch
Preschool & Early School
Years
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Basic needs
Attention
Environmental issues
Inconsistency
Rules and limits
Touch
Grades
School friends
Girl Stress
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The Beauty Quest: waxing, plucking
Toddlers and Tiaras
Beauty message gets younger
Adult-like clothing targeted at younger
girls
Walmart introduced a line of make up
for girls between the ages of 8 and 12
Preteen Years
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Rules and limits
Touch
Support
Physical
appearance/
measuring up/body
image
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Friends
Grades
Physical body
changes
Substance abuse
Consistency
Teen Years
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Consistency
Rules and limits
Touch
Support
Physical
appearance/measur
ing up/body image
Friends
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Grades/future
planning
Physical body
changes
Substance abuse
Sexual relationships
Identity
Teen Stress
Heightened worries about
appearance—body image, clothing
choices, college and make-up—
further exacerbate the daily stress
of teen girls.
 Whereas boys express stress more
directly, girls keep their stress
hidden.
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Teen Stress: Girls vs.
Boys
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Girls report more school-related stress than boys.
Girls believe they have to be successful in every
area of their lives (social, academic, appearance,
etc.)
Boys report being less invested in school; have
fewer worries about college
Although all teens report being burdened by too
much homework and tests, girls are 55% more
likely than boys to say they pressure themselves to
get good grades and do well in school.
Girls are also more stressed-out as they go through
their school days because of social stress: they
constantly monitor their relationships with peers
and teachers.
Teen Stress
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The majority of girls report feeling “too much” or
“way too much” pressure to get good grades
More than 2/3 of girls in middle school say they
“usually” or “always” pressure themselves to
succeed. By high school, that number rises
Almost 2/3 of girls in middle school and 3/4 of girls
in high school believe the amount of free time they
have is “too little” or “not nearly enough.”
Nearly 2/3 of girls in middle school and high school
report that the amount of homework they get is
“too much” or “way too much.”
Teen Stress
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Girls entering high school experience a sharp
increase in stress, they report, because they are
told “everything counts now for college.”
More than 1/3 of girls in middle school say they
“usually” or “always” worry about getting into
the “right” college
By high school, that number doubles: 2/3 of girls
“usually” or “always” worry about getting into
the “right” college. Because of concerns about
college applications and decisions, the junior and
senior years of high school are usually the most
stressful
Stress or No Stress?
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Stress – it’s inevitable
Children need exposure to stress
Parents need to prepare and support
children during times of stress
Is Some Stress Good for
Children?
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Yes!
Katz et al study indicates:
– Exposure to mild stress as a young child can
actually alter the brain in ways that make us
better equipped to handle future stress as adults
– Helping children cope with stress effectively
(rather than rescuing them from stress will
benefit them far more
– Exposure to mild stress aids children in
becoming more resilient, independent, and
emotionally stable adults
Katz’s study
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Prefrontal cortex (PFC) of the brain is
the seat of cognitive control and
executive functioning
This is where decision making occurs
We are presented with a problem
– PFC allows us to analyze the situation
– Weigh the relevance of the information
– Make sound decisions on how to act
Katz et al.
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Poorly functioning PFC
– Unable to make sense of information
– Inability to interpret situations accurately
– Result is engagement in inappropriate behavior
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Superior functioning PFC
– Quick to take in information and make sense of
it
– Ability to make appropriate judgments about the
information
– Result is choosing appropriate actions
Katz et al.
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What exposure to stress in children does to the
brain:
– Increase in white matter myelination
– Myelination of axons increases the speed of
transmission of information across neural
connections
Katz et al.
– Therefore, an increase in white matter
means that information is transmitted
quicker
– “Youths that were exposed to stress
actually had less anxiety, lower levels of
stress, and had more confidence in
exploring novel situations, or
demonstrated an increased sense of
independence.”
How This Works
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You cope successfully with stress
Brain now records a success
New stressor arrives
Brain has recorded experience and reacts
with less anxiety
Brain assesses the information quicker
You make more appropriate choices
Examples of how you see this in today’s
children?
Symptoms
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Help children develop on awareness of the
signs of stress. This will depend on age,
personality and level of development.
Signs include physical symptoms
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Nausea
Headaches
Diarrhea
Fatigue
Indigestion
Sweaty palms
Symptoms
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Depression
Irritability
Aggression
Daydreaming
Sensitivity
Withdrawal
Restlessness
– Frustration
– Nightmares
– Difficulty leaving
you
– Overreactions to
minor problems
– Drastic changes in
academic
performance
Symptoms
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Younger children may pick up new
habits:
– thumb sucking
– hair twirling
– nose picking
– bed wetting
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Older kids may begin to:
– lie
– bully
– defy authority
Helping Children Cope
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Research indicates that children who handle
stress well tend to have:
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Good self esteem
Sense of humor
Open family communication
Supportive family relationships
Consistent family structure
Perception of control over their lives
Religious affiliation
Good relationships with friends and teachers
receive recognition for achievements
Common Reactions to
Trauma
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Shock/disbelief
Fear
Guilt
Grief
Confusion
Shame/loss
Anger
Signs of Anger in Children
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Behavioral outbursts, many times
without an obvious cause.
Sleep problems.
Fights at school or home.
Physical attacks on others or animals,
even among pre-schoolers.
Signs of Anger
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Disobedience from otherwise well
behaved child(ren).
Child state he/she is really sad and
does not know why.
Complaints of stomachaches and
headaches; or vague aches and pains
Warning Signs of Serious
Emotional Trauma
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Disruption in peer relationships (little or no
interactions with friends, significant increase in
conflict with classmates or friend).
Strained family relationships (high degree of
misbehavior, lashing out against family members,
refusal to participate in normal family routines).
Significant decrease in school performance.
Ongoing physical complaints with no apparent
cause.
Warning Signs of Serious
Emotional Trauma
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Use of chemicals, alcohol (or increase in
comparison to previous behavior).
Repeated nightmares and reporting strong fears of
death, violence, etc.
Repetitive play re-enacting the traumatic events.
Low self esteem, negative talk about self (if this
was not apparent prior to the trauma).
General lack of energy and lack of interest in
previously enjoyed activities.
Helping Children Cope
with Trauma
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Restrict media exposure
Allow expression opportunities
(writing, talking, playing)
Model healthy self care: eating,
sleeping, exercise
Re-establish or establish a routine
ASAP
What Parents Can Do
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Prepare children for potentially
stressful situations:
– Discuss potential stressful situations (e.g.
starting a new school; planning for the
future; friend issues, etc.)
– Provide a listening ear
– Role play
What Parents Can Do
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Avoid overprotecting children:
– Listen
– Provide support by being there
– Let them make decisions
The Communication Piece
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Establish and build communication
between you and your child early on
Understand that the communication in
your relationship will change over time
based on their age and development
Listen and pick up on signs of stress
The Communication Piece
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Make yourself available
Build child’s self esteem
Help child reframe stressful situations
Discuss how to handle criticism
Help child develop assertiveness skills
The Parenting Piece
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Provide structure
Set limits
Be available
Be aware of basics: proper nutrition,
exercise, and sleep
Model good coping skills
Help children develop problem solving
skills
The Creativity Crisis:
The Torrance Project
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1958: Torrance Project
Professor E. Paul Torrance enlisted 400
Minneapolis children to become part of a
creativity project, completing a series of
tasks he designed
The Torrance Project
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Ted Schwarzrock, age 8 was handed a fire
truck and asked, “How could you improve
this toy to make it better and more fun to
play with?”
Ted identified 25 improvements and was
judged to have “unusual visual
perspective” and “an ability to synthesize
diverse elements into meaningful
products.”
Torrance’s work created the Creativity
Quotient (CQ) which continues to be the
gold standard for measuring creativity
Torrance Project
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Torrance and his colleague Millar tracked
the children from the project recording
every accomplishment made
Torrance’s creativity index was able to
predict which children would be creative
adults
Those who came up with more good ideas
on Torrance’s tasks grew up to be
entrepreneurs, inventors, college presidents,
authors, doctors, diplomats, and software
developers.
Torrance Project
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Jonathan Plucker of Indiana University
recently reanalyzed Torrance’s data.
Findings: The correlation to lifetime
creative accomplishment was more
than three times stronger for
childhood creativity than childhood IQ
IQ vs CQ
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IQ: The Flynn Effect
The Flynn Effect in IQ scores indicates
that scores rise 10 points with each
generation
CQ scores have been falling since
1990
Most serious decline in scores is from
Kindergarten through grade 6
Possible Reasons for the
Decline
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Exposure to too much television
Video games versus creative activities
Lack of creativity in our schools
Possible Reasons for the
Decline
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Decrease in nurturing creativity in
children
A teacher friend asks: “What
happened to the Christmas pageant
this year?” Reply: “We nixed it to
work on improving standardized test
scores.”
Creativity Globally
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2008:
– Britain revamped their curricula to include idea
generation. Pilot programs are using
Torrance’s assessment test to track progress
2009:
– European Union designated 2009 as the
European Year of Creativity and Innovation,
holding conferences on the neuroscience of
creativity, financing teacher training, and
instituting problem-based learning programs—
curricula driven by real-world inquiry—for both
children and adults
Creativity Globally
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China: Widespread education reform
to extinguish the drill-and-kill teaching
style. Chinese schools are now
adopting a problem-based learning
approach.
Creativity
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Involves using both sides of the brain
Involves using divergent
(different/opposing) and convergent (the
familiar/accumulated knowledge) thinking
In children, the space between anxiety and
boredom was where creativity flourished
Highly creative adults frequently grew up
with hardship. Hardship alone does not lead
to creativity. Hardship forces flexibility
which helps kids become creative
Age and Creativity
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Early Childhood/Preschool:
– Creativity appears in play
– Preschoolers who spend more time in
role-play (acting out characters) have
higher measures of creativity: voicing
someone else’s point of view helps
develop their ability to analyze situations
from different perspectives
Age and Creativity
– Individual play: When playing alone,
highly creative first graders may act out
strong negative emotions: they’ll be
angry, hostile, anguished. The hypothesis
is that play is a safe harbor to work
through forbidden thoughts and emotions
Age and Creativity
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Middle School:
– Creation of paracosms - fantasies of
entire alternative worlds (may include the
creation of an alternative language)
– These paracosms may be revisited
regularly
– Paracosms peak at age 9 or 10
– Paracosms have been found to be a
strong sign of future creativity .
Age and Creativity
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Fourth Grade on:
– School becomes a series of more complex
information
– Children get overloaded; creativity suffers
– Creative children excel in classrooms that
encourage occasional disruptions,
detours, curiosity
Lack of Creativity
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What will it mean?
– Leadership
– Inventions
– Economic growth
– Global issues (resources, war)
– Health care
– Education
Divorce
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Divorce rate in our country remains at
about 50%
Divorce can be one of the most major
stressors in a child’s life
Since children take cues from parents,
how the adults handle divorce can
have a lasting effect on children
Additionally, divorce can create longterm toxic stress
Children and Divorce
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Helping your child cope with
divorce:
– Invite conversation.
– Help your child put her feelings into
words
Children and Divorce
– Legitimize your child's feelings.
Saying things like, "No wonder you
feel sad" or "I know it feels like the
hurt may never go away, but it will"
lets your child know that her
feelings are valid.
– Offer support. Ask your child, "What
do you think will help you feel
better?"
Resources
Katz, M. et al. Prefrontal Plasticity and Stress Inoculation-Induced
Resilience. Developmental Neuroscience. 2009;31:293–299.
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child;Children’s
Emotional Development is Built into the Architecture of their Brains.
Working Paper 2, 2004.
http://www.bam.gov/index.html: A Center for Disease Control website
for kids.