Intervening with Severely and Chronically Neglected Children and their Families: The Contribution of Trauma‐Informed Approaches

Abstract

Many clinicians and researchers have proposed considering child abuse and neglect from a traumatic stress perspective to better understand how they so profoundly impact child development. According to this perspective, child maltreatment (both child abuse and neglect) is viewed as a chronic interpersonal trauma which may severely interfere with normal developmental processes, often resulting in long‐lasting behavioural, emotional and psychophysiological dysregulations. In this paper, we summarise theoretical and empirical literature addressing the traumatic nature of child neglect, with a specific focus on short‐term consequences of neglect in childhood. We then give an overview of some key intervention elements stemming from trauma‐informed approaches with traumatised children and their families.Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Messages Child neglect is viewed as a chronic interpersonal trauma which may severely interfere with normal developmental processes, often resulting in long‐lasting behavioural, emotional and psychophysiological dysregulations. Key intervention guidelines stemming from trauma‐informed approaches include: A detailed assessment of the child's trauma history and characteristics Providing a safe environment for the child Helping the child build feelings of emotional security Improving parental sensitivity Developing child emotional self‐regulation Offering emotional therapeutic support to the parent.

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“…For instance, some research is based on attachment theory and attempts to understand child neglect in the context of the parent-child relationship ( Dubois-Comtois et al, 2017 ; Moss et al, 2014 ; Toth, Sturge-Apple, Rogosch, & Cicchetti, 2015 ). A trauma-informed approach has also been developed to emphasize the traumatic experience of children exposed to child neglect, as well as their parents potentially traumatic childhood experiences ( Milot, St‐Laurent, & Éthier, 2016 ). Furthermore, certain approaches focus on improving parents’ knowledge and skills ( Prinz, Sanders, Shapiro, Whitaker, & Lutzker, 2016 ; Prinz, Sanders, Shapiro, Whitaker, & Lutzker, 2009 ).…”

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“…Creating such environments implies a schoolwide change away from coercive behavioural methods that focus on obedience and control, punish children, and tend to interpret so-called 'challenging' or 'disruptive' behaviours as attention-seeking, manipulative or goal-oriented (Phifer and Hull, 2016). It involves the implementation of routine screenings to identify trauma's behavioural and affective manifestations, and a strong focus on developing and supporting children's self-regulation and coping skills (Milot et al, 2015).…”

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“…Sadly, as others have shown, out‐of‐home care is not necessarily a panacea for these harms (Barone et al , ; Maclean et al , ). Clearly, much more needs to be done to identify and respond to neglect at an early stage, with good, supportive care that considers the ongoing psychosocial needs of affected children and young people (Milot et al , ).…”