CTC Child Development & Trauma Impact 4

Question 1

Which ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study finding best illustrates the dose-response relationship between trauma and health outcomes?

Accepted Answer

Each additional ACE score point linearly increases risk of physical and mental health problems

Answer

The original Felitti et al. (1998) ACE study demonstrated a graded, dose-response relationship: higher ACE scores correlate with progressively worse health outcomes across the lifespan.

Question 2

A child who experienced early trauma frequently misreads neutral facial expressions as threatening. This reflects dysfunction in which process?

Accepted Answer

Social information processing bias

Answer

Trauma creates a hostile attribution bias within social information processing, causing children to perceive neutral or ambiguous cues as threatening.

Question 3

What is the primary mechanism by which early relational trauma affects gene expression without altering DNA sequence?

Accepted Answer

Epigenetic modification

Answer

Trauma influences gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms—such as DNA methylation and histone modification—that regulate how genes are expressed without changing underlying DNA.

Question 4

A 10-year-old trauma survivor freezes and cannot speak when called on in class. From a polyvagal theory perspective, this is best explained by activation of which state?

Accepted Answer

Dorsal vagal shutdown/freeze

Answer

Porges' Polyvagal Theory identifies the dorsal vagal complex as responsible for immobilization and shutdown responses when fight-or-flight fails to resolve perceived threat.

Question 5

Which of the following best describes 'complex trauma' (C-PTSD) as distinguished from single-incident PTSD in children?

Accepted Answer

Cumulative exposure to multiple interpersonal traumas over time with pervasive developmental impact

Answer

Complex trauma involves repeated, prolonged interpersonal victimization (often by caregivers) that disrupts development across multiple domains, distinguishing it from single-incident PTSD.

(CTC) Childhood Trauma Consultant Certified Practice Test

(CTC) Childhood Trauma Consultant Certified Practice Test

CTC Child Development & Trauma Impact 4