Childhood Trauma and its Effects: Implications for Police
"For children, repeated exposure to
violent trauma, particularly in the absence of parental nurture, support
and protection that might mitigate the impact of such trauma, can have
devastating effects on their psychiatric and neuropsychiatric
development. This paper summarizes current understanding of the effects
of ongoing trauma on young children, how these effects impair adolescent
and young adult functioning, and the possible implications of this for
policing.
The author argues that while children from any
neighborhood can be exposed to violent trauma, children from poor
communities of color are particularly at risk for such exposure. Because
these communities are often the focus of police attention, it is
important that police be aware of the high prevalence of severe
childhood trauma in such communities, appreciate its effects on the
developing child, and understand its impact on adolescent and adult
functioning. With this knowledge, police officers have a greater
capacity to help decrease the prevalence of this major public mental
health problem."
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