Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Mental Health Care for Young Children

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Mental Health care for young children are two contemporary issues facing Early Care Educators today. The early years of children are critical in brain development. Both of these issues affect a child’s brain development. During the first five years of a child’s life their stress response system, affect regulation strategies and basic relationship schemas are forming (Ippen, Harris, Van Horn & Lieberman, 2011). If children are experiencing trauma during these years this could create an adverse effect on the mental health of children.

According to a Zero to Three, task force, they define infant mental health as;

the capacity of children from birth to age three to experience, regulate, and express emotions; form close, secure interpersonal relationships; and explore the environment and learn, all in the context of family, community and cultural expectations for young children. Infant mental health is synonymous with healthy social – emotional development (American Psychologist, p.130).

From the above definition it is clear that young children need to have early experiences of love, care and nurturing. Children depend on primary caregivers for this experience. Unfortunately many children do not receive this kind of care. The U.S. Department of Health and Services documented that about 56% of victims of maltreatment are children under the age of seven. And, 50% of preschool children suffering from PTSD “do not experience natural recovery and retain the diagnosis for at least 2 years” (Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, p. 2). These statistics support a need for appropriate mental health services.

This is important to the field because research shows that mental health consultation supports the improvement of over-all job related stress, overall quality of early care and a reduction in staff turn-over (Perry & Linas, 2012). When young children experience trauma they need to receive supportive services just as adults. One intervention program that has proven effective is the Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP). This is a scientific proven method of therapy between a child and his/her parent. The focus is on “parent-child relationship as the vehicle for child improvement” (Ippen et al, 2011, p. 504). The parent’s goal is to develop the capacity to provide safety and developmentally appropriate care giving to the child. It would appear that at an early stage in the child’s life the caregiver- child bond is be repaired. Although CPP has met success further research of mental health interventions need to be conducted.

References

De Young, A.C., & Kenardy, J.A., (2011). Trauma in early childhood: A neglected population. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 1-20. doi: 10.1007/s10567-011-0094-3

Ippen,C., Harris, W., Van Horn, P., & Lieberman, A., (2011). Traumatic and stressful events in early childhood: Can treatment help those at highest risk? Child Abuse & Neglect, 35, 504-513.

Nelson, F., & Mann, T., (2011). Opportunities in public policy to support infant and early childhood mental health. American Psychologist, 66(2), 129-139.  doi: 10.1037/a0021314

Perry, D.E., & Linas, K., (2012). Building the evidence for early childhood mental health consultation: Where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going. Infant Mental Health Journal, 33(3), 223-225.