Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

May 2012

Abuse and neglect can disrupt attachment and stem the development of important relational capacities. Nearly 35 percent of children and youth who are reported for maltreatment demonstrate significant deficits in social skills.

With help from families, friends, providers, and other Heroes of Hope, children and youth can be resilient when dealing with trauma. Visit http://1.usa.gov/JWjb5E to learn more.

April 2012

In a nationally representative survey of 12- to 17-year-old youths and their trauma experiences, 39 percent reported witnessing violence, 17 percent reported physical assault, and 8 percent reported a lifetime prevalence of sexual assault.

With help from families, friends, providers, and other Heroes of Hope, children and youth can be resilient when dealing with trauma. Visit http://1.usa.gov/Ie4UjT to learn more.

March 2012

Young people who are homeless or runaway, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) are more likely to report victimization on the streets, versus heterosexual runaway youth (58.7 percent versus 33.4 percent).

With help from families, friends, providers, and other Heroes of Hope, children and youth can be resilient when dealing with trauma. Visit http://1.usa.gov/vZjhL8 to learn more.

February 2012

Among a sample of youth in juvenile detention, 93 percent of males and 84 percent of females reported exposure to a traumatic experience. Eleven percent of males and 15 percent of females met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD and other mental health challenges can impair a youth's capacity to reach age-appropriate developmental goals.

With help from families, friends, providers, and other Heroes of Hope, children and youth can be resilient when dealing with trauma. Visit http://1.usa.gov/zKxV8K to learn more.

January 2012

Children and youth who experience trauma display increases in stress hormones comparable to those displayed in combat veterans. Researchers point to multiple potential outcomes for children exposed to trauma, including attachment, mood regulation, dissociation, self-concept challenges, and behavioral, cognition, and biological changes, all of which can have a negative impact on school attendance, learning, and academic achievement.

With help from families, friends, providers, and other Heroes of Hope, children and youth can be resilient when dealing with trauma. Visit http://1.usa.gov/AbbNsM to learn more.

May 2011

When exposed to a traumatic event, children as young as 18 months can have serious emotional and behavioral problems later in childhood and in adulthood. More than 35 percent of children exposed to a single traumatic event will develop serious mental health problems.

With help from families, providers, and the community, young children can demonstrate resilience when dealing with trauma. Visit May 2011: Childhood Trauma and PTSD to learn more.

Late April 2011

In 2009, researchers found that more than 60 percent of youth age 17 and younger have been exposed to crime, violence, and abuse either directly or indirectly including witnessing a violent act, assault with a weapon, sexual victimization, child maltreatment, and dating violence. Nearly 10 percent were injured during the exposure to violence, 10 percent were exposed to maltreatment by caretaker, and 6 percent were a victim of sexual assault.

With help from families, providers, and the community, children and youth can demonstrate resilience when dealing with trauma. Visit Late April 2011: Prevalence of Exposure to Violence during Childhood to learn more.

April 2011

As the number of traumatic events experienced during childhood increases, the risk for the following health problems in adulthood increases: depression; alcoholism; drug abuse; suicide attempts; heart and liver diseases; pregnancy problems; high stress; uncontrollable anger; and family, financial, and job problems.

With help from families, providers, and the community, children and youth can be resilient when dealing with trauma. Visit April 2011: Childhood Trauma's Impact on Health Risks to learn more.

March 2011

Studies on the brain show that physical, emotional, or sexual abuse in childhood can cause permanent damage to the brain, reduce the size of parts of the brain, impact the way a child’s brain copes with daily stress, and can result in enduring problems such as depression, anxiety, aggression, impulsiveness, delinquency, hyperactivity, and substance abuse.

With help from families, providers, and the community, young children can demonstrate resilience when dealing with trauma. Visit March 2011: Childhood Trauma's Impact on a Child's Developing Brain to learn more.

February 2011

Young children exposed to 5 or more significant adversities in the first 3 years of childhood face a 76 percent likelihood of having one or more delays in their cognitive, language, or emotional development.

With help from families, providers, and the community, young children can demonstrate resilience when dealing with trauma. Visit February 2011: Trauma's Impact on Childhood Development to learn more.