[The shame-blame-worry complex in parents of children after craniocerebral trauma]
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 29, 2026

Controlled Cortical Impact Model for Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: August 5, 2014
1Rehabilitationsklinik für Kinder und Jugendliche.
Insights
Parents of brain-damaged children develop a "care complex" as a defense mechanism. This complex, while stemming from guilt, often leads to overprotection and hinders children
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Parents of brain-damaged children often experience a shame-guilt dilemma.
- This dilemma can manifest as a "care complex," a defense mechanism.
- The care complex influences parental behavior and child-rearing practices.
Abstract:
The care complex of parents of brain damaged children represents a defense mechanism against the parents' shame-guilt-dilemma. The care complex does not meet with a coping behaviour being beneficial to the children, but demands rather too much of such children and adolescents. There is overprotection, a changed emotional acceptance of the child and a changed method of upbringing together with a strict control over achievements at school and therapies still necessary. Variants of the parents' subjective guilt with regard to the child are described in several case vignettes. Methods of the psychotherapeutic treatment of parents are discussed. Finally, an outlook in the consequences of the care complex as regards the self-image and self-acceptance in adolescence are given.
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