PTSD in Children: Impact of Abuse in Madrassas, Schools, and Homes

PTSD, also known as post-traumatic stress disorder, can impact any gender and age. In today’s time, this mental health disorder is prevalent even in children. Some kids find it tough to recover from the stress they get from a severe trauma that may include verbal, physical or emotional violence, a massive injury or even a death in the family. Traumas that have long-term effects on the kids tend to get converted into PTSD.

Mostly, symptoms of PTSD persist for at least a month, and they end up disrupting the normal human functioning of the child. 

In this article, we shall talk about PTSD in children and how the abuse they are exposed to at a young age in Madrasses, schools and homes impacts them.

Reasons for PTSD Development In Kids

There are unlimited reasons why a kid may end up having PTSD. Most commonly, it is a direct exposure to physical and sexual abuse or emotional mistreatment.

Another major reason for the development of PTSD is witnessing a violent act or crime. If a kid views a prolonged physical suffering or diseases of a loved one, it may impact their mental health massively.

Natural disasters and exposure to road accidents also have a significant influence on the mental state of a witness, especially when it’s a kid. 

A lot of times, school teachers also resort to physical punishments to teach the students a lesson. They utilize harsh methods to bring some discipline into the class. In the Pakistani society, the Madrassa culture is prevalent. To make the students memorise lessons, they are beaten and verbally abused. At times, this physical punishment gets so intense that it ends up traumatising them. Such kids get PTSD and are impacted by the abuse for a lifetime. 

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How To Know If It Is PTSD?

A lot of psychological issues have overlapping symptoms. You need to distinguish between them and understand if it really is PTSD or not. Some major signs of PTSd include:

• Re-Thinking The Traumatic Experience Repeatedly

Traumatic experiences and incidents have a massive impact on the victims. They keep re-imagining the traumatic experience time and again. These intrusive thoughts impact their normal daily functioning by bringing up negative emotions time and again. This re-imagination also leads to sleep disturbances. 

• Behavioural Changes

The behaviour of a kid dealing with PTSD also changes abruptly. There is a sense of constant sadness in him, and he showcases irritability in every action of the day. They also showcase withdrawal behaviour in various activities of life. 

• Lack Of Emotional Reactions

Kids suffering from PTSD find it tough to express emotional reactions to various happenings in life. They are unable to give appropriate emotional reactions and responses when required. 

• Social Avoidance

PTSD leads to the victims having severe social avoidance. The past traumas and tragedies hinder them from participating in a social set-up with full acceptance and enthusiasm. They, most of the time, avoid instances and occurrences where they may have to socialize.  

• Academic Decline

In students, PTSD can be a significant factor leading to lower IQ, reading inability, higher absenteeism, and lower graduation rates. 

Treating PTSD in Kids

Kids generally refrain from talking about the past traumas that trigger this mental health disorder. This is why there is a need to give them an assurance of safety and build a strong support system around them. This requires contributions from family and friends. The environment at the school also plays a massive role in bringing success in the treatment. 

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a good choice when it comes to treating PTSD. This therapy includes talking extensively and reaching a point of comfort where the kid starts talking about the traumatic event that led to PTSD. This includes various strategies such as drawing elements from the traumatic event and even writing about it. 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Kids who have PTSD are unable to express their thoughts clearly. With cognitive behavioural therapy, also known as CBT, they are able to frame their feelings and thoughts more clearly. Alongside this, this specific therapy helps in reducing the fear of the past and present, letting them get rid of the worry associated with their future.

Medication

Medication is not a preferred treatment for this psychological disorder. However, at times when an anxiety attack gets out of control, medication can help in managing behavior of the patient. 

Parental Involvement

Parental involvement is a MUST when it comes to treating PTSD in children. Without the active involvement of parents, the therapy may take a lot of time and effort.

Also Read :
PTSD: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Final Thoughts

Dealing with PTSD that develops from a traumatic event of the past or physical abuse encountered in madrasses, schools and homes is tricky. It requires professional help as kids, otherwise, don’t really open up about things bothering them. At SehatYab, we provide professional help to kids who need therapy sessions to deal with the PTSD arising from trauma. It is an online platform that has expert mental health specialists offering advanced therapy sessions to those who need!