The beginning of the research for the diagnosis of trauma reaction symptoms arose from the behavior presented by the returning veterans from the Vietnam War. It was through this research that it was found that children too develop and experience characteristics of PTSD. Like adults, children respond to traumatic occurrences that cause them to respond with the same symptoms experienced by the Vietnam soldiers. Occurrences such as sexual abuse, violence and war contribute to the cause of the psychological complications (“Post-traumatic stress…”). Children not only develop PTSD from personal experiences of distress, but some children from military families who are exposed to the behavior of a parent who returned from deployment with the illness
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Veterans with PTSD frequently display edgy manners and high concern for the safety of their family. They are easily startled and experience extreme irritability with others. Their hyperarousal behaviors and easily triggered frustration and hostility creates a feeling of disconnection between the veteran and family members. Children often take this behavior to heart and feel as though their parent doesn’t like them or even love them (Price). When veteran parents who suffer from PTSD have relapses of the traumatic events they had once before witnessed, it can cause them to act in rash ways due to a rise in strong emotions such as anxiety, fear, and anger. Becoming so intense and realistic, the person re-experiencing these traumatic events believes it is actually happening. These instances not only frighten the veteran re-experiencing the trauma, but also anybody else, especially children nearby who witness it as well. Seeing a parent in this state, children’s unease increases, for they worry about the condition of their parent, and if they are safe and are able to be well taken care of (“When a Child’s …show more content…
When a veteran parent returns from deployment with an illness as mentally damaging as post-traumatic stress disorder, a child can be deeply affected. It is said that children can acquire PTSD symptoms from their parents, some just by witnessing their parent’s behaviors (Price). When in these circumstances, to prevent the ignition of negative memories for the distressed parent, children are silenced from speaking about certain topics of conversation. This instigates a rise in the child’s level of anxiety and leaves the child to fear accidentally initiating problems for their parent. In other cases, some children are not protected enough from the graphic details of the war, leaving them to expand the ghastly images in their imagination, which trigger symptoms of distress. Research shows that there are three main ways children respond to the behaviors of a parent with post-traumatic stress disorder. Response one: the child feels the need to fill the shoes of the ill parent, picking up the burden of responsibility to take on roles that the parent may fail to fulfill themselves. Response two: the child begins to second handedly develop symptoms of distress from watching their parent. Others purposely pick up the rash behaviors as a means to connect to the parent. Response three:
Veterans with PTSD frequently display edgy manners and high concern for the safety of their family. They are easily startled and experience extreme irritability with others. Their hyperarousal behaviors and easily triggered frustration and hostility creates a feeling of disconnection between the veteran and family members. Children often take this behavior to heart and feel as though their parent doesn’t like them or even love them (Price). When veteran parents who suffer from PTSD have relapses of the traumatic events they had once before witnessed, it can cause them to act in rash ways due to a rise in strong emotions such as anxiety, fear, and anger. Becoming so intense and realistic, the person re-experiencing these traumatic events believes it is actually happening. These instances not only frighten the veteran re-experiencing the trauma, but also anybody else, especially children nearby who witness it as well. Seeing a parent in this state, children’s unease increases, for they worry about the condition of their parent, and if they are safe and are able to be well taken care of (“When a Child’s …show more content…
When a veteran parent returns from deployment with an illness as mentally damaging as post-traumatic stress disorder, a child can be deeply affected. It is said that children can acquire PTSD symptoms from their parents, some just by witnessing their parent’s behaviors (Price). When in these circumstances, to prevent the ignition of negative memories for the distressed parent, children are silenced from speaking about certain topics of conversation. This instigates a rise in the child’s level of anxiety and leaves the child to fear accidentally initiating problems for their parent. In other cases, some children are not protected enough from the graphic details of the war, leaving them to expand the ghastly images in their imagination, which trigger symptoms of distress. Research shows that there are three main ways children respond to the behaviors of a parent with post-traumatic stress disorder. Response one: the child feels the need to fill the shoes of the ill parent, picking up the burden of responsibility to take on roles that the parent may fail to fulfill themselves. Response two: the child begins to second handedly develop symptoms of distress from watching their parent. Others purposely pick up the rash behaviors as a means to connect to the parent. Response three: