The ChildTrauma Academy

www.ChildTrauma.org

EFFECTS OF TRAUMATIC EVENTS ON CHILDREN
AN INTRODUCTION

Traumatic Event

Prolonged
Alarm
Reaction

Altered
Neural
Systems
BD Perry MD, PhD

Bruce D. Perry, MD, Ph.D.

This booklet is one in a series developed by the ChildTrauma Academy to assist parents, caregivers, teachers and various professionals working with maltreated and traumatized children. All Rights Reserved © 2003 Bruce D. Perry

Effects of Trauma on Children: Perry

2

Introduction
Each year in the United States approximately five million children experience some form of traumatic experience. More than two million of these are victims of physical and/or sexual abuse. Millions more are living in the terrorizing atmosphere of domestic violence. Natural disasters, car accidents, life-threatening medical conditions, painful procedures, exposure to community violence – all can have traumatic impact on the child. By the time a child reaches the age of eighteen, the probability that any child will have been touched directly by interpersonal or community violence is approximately one in four. Traumatic experiences can have a devastating impact on the child, altering their physical, emotional, cognitive and social development. In turn, the impact on the child has profound implications for their family, community and, ultimately, us all.
Traumatic events in childhood increase risk for a host of social (e.g., teenage pregnancy, adolescent drug abuse, school failure, victimization, anti-social behavior), neuropsychiatric
(e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder, dissociative disorders, conduct disorders) and other medical problems (e.g., heart disease, asthma). The deterioration of public education, urban violence and the alarming social disintegration seen in some of our urban and rural communities can be traced back to the