Introduction to the special issue: Trauma-informed care for children and families.

Abstract

This special issue of Psychological Services includes 18 articles describing efforts to promote and provide trauma-informed care for children and families. Trauma-informed care is an approach to providing services that is sensitive to the possibility that children and families have experienced past or ongoing traumatic situations with implications for their current functioning and response to interventions. Installing and maintaining a trauma-informed approach in organized care settings requires effective planning, initial assessment, implementation, reassessment, and support that reflects an ongoing commitment to recognizing the impact of trauma on those being served. The articles contained in this special issue span a range of efforts in each of these areas, including the development and refinement of models of care and specific interventions, establishing quality assessment tools, and providing illustrations of lessons learned from attempts to implement and sustain trauma-informed initiatives. This introduction to the special issue provides a brief overview of these articles. The purpose of this special issue is to share current data and models of trauma-informed care and to encourage further development of collaborative models, interventions, measurement tools, and implementation efforts that lead to better services and outcomes for children and families who experience trauma.

Experiences of Pain in Hospitalized Children During Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Therapy

“…The extensive description of psychological pain and trauma in this study may indicate a gap in the availability or effectiveness of current psychological interventions in the pediatric HSCT unit and the need for a more coordinated and proactive approach to help children cope with pain and distress (Rabin et al, 2011). Potentially, pediatric HSCT units could consider implementing a trauma-informed model of pain-related care that routinely incorporates psychosocial interventions into clinical care, acknowledges that the child and family have experienced health care that may be perceived as traumatic, and recognizes the importance of providing a clinical environment where the effects of potentially traumatic health care are minimized (Cutuli et al, 2019; Marsac et al, 2016; Moss et al, 2019). Minimizing distressing stimuli from medical treatment, and improving the management of pain, is crucial and necessary to decreasing children’s psychological distress in relation to HSCT therapy (McCarthy et al, 2013).…”

Family consequences of potentially traumatic pediatric medical events: Implications for trauma-informed care.

“…The importance of trauma-informed care for children and families is being recognized across medical, mental health, educational, and other human service sectors (Cutuli, Alderfer, & Marsac, 2019). Implementing trauma-informed care on a broad scale often requires pervasive systemic changes to an organization’s culture, policies, and procedures (Ko et al, 2008); however, small changes by specific providers may also be powerful for the families they serve.…”

CE: Trauma-Informed Care in Nursing Practice

“…[25][26][27] TIC guides health care providers and organizations in understanding the sequelae of trauma and in accepting and supporting victims of trauma through positive adaptation and healing. 28 It recognizes the signs and symptoms of traumatic stress and acknowledges the role trauma may play in a patient's life. 2 Below we use a deidentified case study of a patient who has experienced complex trauma to explain the six principles of TIC (see Figure 1) and to demonstrate application of the real-world nursing interventions necessary to deliver personcentered care to patients who have experienced traumatic stress.…”