Child Development and Trauma Flashcards

When interviewing a child who may have been sexually abused, which interviewing approach is recommended to minimize contamination of the child's disclosure?

Answer: Use open-ended, non-leading questions and follow the child's narrative

Forensic interviews use open-ended, non-leading questions to allow the child to provide their own narrative without suggestion, protecting the integrity of any disclosure for legal purposes.

What is 'developmental age' and why is it relevant in child welfare assessments?

Answer: A child's functional level of development, which may differ from their chronological age due to trauma or neglect

Developmental age refers to a child's functional level across domains (cognitive, emotional, social, physical), which may lag behind chronological age when children have experienced deprivation or trauma.

A teenager in foster care who engages in self-harm behavior such as cutting is most likely doing so because:

Answer: Self-harm may be a maladaptive coping mechanism to manage overwhelming emotional pain or trauma

Self-harm is typically a maladaptive coping strategy where individuals use physical pain to manage overwhelming emotions, often rooted in unprocessed trauma and an inability to self-regulate.

Which childhood experience is most likely to result in symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

Answer: Chronic exposure to domestic violence, sexual abuse, or severe physical abuse

Chronic interpersonal trauma such as domestic violence exposure, sexual abuse, or severe physical abuse is among the most potent triggers of PTSD and complex trauma responses in children.

What is meant by 'secondary traumatic stress' in the context of child welfare practice?

Answer: Trauma symptoms experienced by workers as a result of their exposure to clients' traumatic experiences

Secondary traumatic stress (also called compassion fatigue) refers to trauma symptoms—intrusion, avoidance, hyperarousal—that workers develop through indirect exposure to clients' trauma.

Which developmental theory explains that children learn through observation and imitation of others in their environment, which is relevant to understanding intergenerational patterns of abuse?

Answer: Bandura's social learning theory

Bandura's social learning theory explains that children learn behaviors, including aggressive and abusive behaviors, by observing and imitating models—relevant to understanding why abuse can be transmitted intergenerationally.