When babies or toddlers are exposed to life-threatening or traumatic events, they become very scared – just like anybody else. Some common reactions may include: unusually high levels of distress when separated from their parent or primary carer. a kind of 'frozen watchfulness' – the child may have a 'shocked' look.
Infants and toddlers who are abused or neglected can be emotionally traumatized by these experiences. Trauma in infancy differs from adult trauma in many important ways.
Infants and young children (under age 4) can develop post-traumatic stress disorders after events, according to a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
If an infant or young child has been in a traumatic event, or if the primary caregiver of young children has been traumatized, early aggressive intervention can be crucial. Contrary to popular belief, even infants and very young children experiencing traumatic events can be affected.
Listen to their stories, take their reactions seriously, correct any misinformation about the traumatic event, and reassure them that what happened was not their fault. Provide extra attention, comfort, and encouragement. Spending time together as a family may help children feel safe.
“Infants are fairly resilient, but we are concerned about harm when yelling out of anger around an infant or towards an infant happens at a significant level of intensity or commonly in the home,” says Horvitz. “This will likely increase infant anxiety, which overtime may have an impact similar to trauma.”
Research shows that even infants are affected by and can remember events that threaten their sense of safety. A response such as PTSD following a traumatic event is not about the event itself, it is a result of the perception of powerlessness that was sensed by the infant.
The sound of your baby's cries activates areas of the brain associated with movement and speech; it primes you to pick up and talk to your crying infant. This evidence suggests that we have hard-wired responses to our child's distress.
Parents should try to refrain from arguing around a baby.
High stress can impact the development of the emotion parts of the brain. A baby can detect anger in a voice as early as 5 months. Parental arguing causes stress in the baby, elevating their heart rate and increasing their blood pressure.
So whether the stressor is the sound of gunfire or a baby wailing for hours on end for months, the internal stress reaction is the same. The bottom line is that any traumatic or extraordinarily stressful situation can indeed cause PTSD. Postpartum mothers without a strong support network are certainly at risk.
Between 4-7 months of age, babies develop a sense of "object permanence." They're realizing that things and people exist even when they're out of sight. Babies learn that when they can't see mom or dad, that means they've gone away.
Some studies show that high levels of stress in pregnancy may cause certain problems during childhood, like having trouble paying attention or being afraid. It's possible that stress also may affect your baby's brain development or immune system.
PTSD per se can occur in infants 9 months of age or older. Prior to this, infants can have conditioned responses to fear, which certainly can be significant, but do not seem to represent PTSD as we understand it.
Traumatic experiences can initiate strong emotions and physical reactions that can persist long after the event. Children may feel terror, helplessness, or fear, as well as physiological reactions such as heart pounding, vomiting, or loss of bowel or bladder control.
Studies have shown that infants as young as one month-old sense when a parent is depressed or angry and are affected by the parent's mood. Understanding that even infants are affected by adult emotions can help parents do their best in supporting their child's healthy development.
These traumas can be the result of intentional violence—such as child physical or sexual abuse, or domestic violence—or the result of natural disaster, accidents, or war. Young children also may experience traumatic stress in response to painful medical procedures or the sudden loss of a parent/caregiver.
Yes, it's perfectly normal for your baby to appear angry sometimes. It can be very upsetting to see your baby distressed, but this is something most babies go through from time to time.
Babies are born innately seeking safety and building trust that their needs will be met, she continues. “Yelling or aggression is felt by the baby as being unsafe, which releases stress hormones, leaving them with a general feeling of unease.”
Anger is one emotion that many parents have a hard time decoding in their babies. But, just like adults and children, babies experience every emotion on the spectrum, anger and frustration included.
It's OK to let your baby cry if the baby doesn't seem sick and you've tried everything to soothe your baby. You can try to leave your baby alone in a safe place, such as a crib, for about 10 to 15 minutes. Many babies need to cry before they can fall asleep. And they'll nod off faster if you leave them to cry.
A baby "should simply be allowed to 'cry it out'. This often requires an hour, and in extreme cases, two or three hours. A second struggle will seldom last more than 10 or 15 minutes and a third will rarely be necessary."
New research points to cuddled children growing up to be healthier, less depressed, kinder, more empathetic, and more productive adults.
Very young children may have few of the PTSD symptoms we see in adults. This may be because 8 of the 17 PTSD symptoms require that the trauma survivor be able to talk about what happened. Young children may show a fear of strangers or be scared to leave their parent. They might also have sleep problems or nightmares.
Research shows severe neglect disrupts young children's cognitive and executive functions, stress response systems, and brain architectures. Without intervention, these disruptions can lead to learning problems, social adjustment difficulties, mental health problems, and physical disease and other challenges.
Insecurity – When a child or baby gets scared frequently it will cause emotional insecurity even in presence of parents. It can lead to depression and anxiety.