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Impact of traumatic life events in a community sample of toddlers

Elizabeth A Mongillo1, Margaret Briggs-Gowan, Julian D Ford

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125-3393, USA.

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
|November 27, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Trauma significantly impacts toddlers, increasing risks for psychiatric and developmental issues. Event-exposed toddlers showed more severe symptoms, with some developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Neuroscience
  • Trauma Studies

Background:

  • Toddlers (6-36 months) are vulnerable to psychiatric, developmental, and neurobiological effects of trauma.
  • Potentially traumatic life events can profoundly affect social and emotional development in early childhood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the social and emotional impact of traumatic events on toddlers aged 18-36 months.
  • To identify symptom severity and changes in functioning following trauma exposure in early childhood.

Main Methods:

  • Epidemiological birth cohort study in the Greater New Haven Area.
  • Assessment of toddlers aged 18-36 months exposed to potentially traumatic events.
  • Utilized the Inventory of Children's Traumatization Symptoms (ITSEA) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).

Main Results:

  • Event-exposed toddlers exhibited higher symptom severity on ITSEA (Internalizing, Externalizing, Dysregulation, Atypical, Maladaptive) and CBCL (Internalizing, Externalizing) scales.
  • Approximately 20% of exposed toddlers showed significant functional changes post-event.
  • Exposed toddlers with reported functional changes had higher levels of PTSD symptoms (re-experiencing, arousal).

Conclusions:

  • Traumatic events pose significant risks to toddler mental health and development.
  • Early identification of functional changes is crucial for addressing PTSD symptoms in toddlers.
  • Clinical and childcare interventions are needed for toddlers and families affected by trauma.

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