Trauma, Adversity, and Parent-Child Relationships Among Young Children Experiencing Homelessness

摘要

Childhood adversity and potentially traumatic experiences have been associated with increased risk for emotional and behavioral problems (Davies et al. 2006). Psychological trauma occurs when an individual faces a situation that is lifethreatening or causes terror to the extent that it disrupts functioning, requiring a righting response (Kiser and Black 2005; Van der Kolk 2003). When young children face overwhelming threats to their safety or security without counteracting influences, the impacts can disrupt development across levels of functioning with long-term consequences for behavior, physiology, emotion regulation, cognitive processes, social relationships, and health (Shonkoff et al. 2009; Van der Kolk 2003). However, many children who experience significant adversity demonstrate resilience, functioning well in spite of the risks (Rutter 2013). Understanding how resilient children navigate potentially traumatic experiences can inform efforts to intervene and prevent negative outcomes for others in similar circumstances. This study examined exposure to potentially traumatic events among children residing in emergency housing with their families. There were three main goals of the study: to describe the experiences of these children; to examine the associations between cumulative adversity, trauma symptoms, emotional/behavior problems, and executive functioning; and to test parenting quality observed in parent-child interactions as a correlate and moderator of these outcomes.