Emotional health and wellbeing
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Emotional health and wellbeing is related to healthy physical, cognitive, social and emotional development. Children in care may have childhood experiences of trauma in their lives that impacts on their emotional health and wellbeing. A carer can be influential in helping the child’s or young person’s healing.
Emotional development
Emotional development is the child’s growing capacity to express and regulate emotions and understand how these relate to their experiences. Through socialisation children gain the life skills for understanding and responding to other people, including having their emotional needs met within relationships. The process begins from the earliest days and continues through life.
The family and family environment are the main sources of the child’s experiences, and therefore have a key influence on a child’s emotional development.
Brain development in the early years can significantly impact on a person’s long term mental and physical health and wellbeing. A strong wellbeing in the early years lays the foundation for improved outcomes in later life. Wellbeing includes good physical health, feelings of happiness, satisfaction and successful social functioning. It influences the way children interact in their environments. A strong sense of wellbeing provides children with confidence and optimism which maximise their learning potential.
Experiences of trauma
Children in care can have complex needs. They may have started out their lives in environments that were not safe for them either physically and/or emotionally, or where their needs were not met. These potentially traumatic experiences can continue to impact on children in terms of their emotional, social and educational wellbeing even when they are in environments where they are safe and nurtured.
There is an incorrect, but widespread belief that young children are not affected by trauma or do not remember traumatic events, e.g. ‘but she was only a baby when it happened’; or ‘if we don’t mention it he will forget about it’, with the belief that this reduces or removes any impact of events. However, trauma can have a serious effect on babies, toddlers and preschool children as well as ongoing impacts into adolescence and adulthood.
When children suffer from physical, sexual or emotional abuse it impacts their sense of safety and wellbeing. Children may develop ways to survive by shutting down their feelings, seeking attention or stop believing others will protect them. These coping mechanisms can look very much like disruptive behaviour problems. Even after the stressful or traumatic situation has passed, children may continue to react or display these behaviours.
Studies have found that the impacts of adverse childhood experiences can have significant impacts on children and young people in care including reduced outcomes in education and employment. Their experiences can mean that children in care often do not reach the same stage of development as their peers by the same age. This makes it all the more important to address these issues whilst children are in care. Further trauma experiences can impact on brain development which impacts on a child’s longer term emotional health and wellbeing.
Signs of trauma
Every child will experience and respond to trauma differently, but often these responses can appear to carers as behavioural issues. These can include but are not limited to:
- disconnection from people and their environment
- anger, irritability, aggression and mood swings
- feeling sad or hopeless
- confusion, has trouble focusing and concentrating
- disengaged, withdrawn from others
- low self-esteem and cultural identity
- shock, denial, or disbelief
- guilt, shame, self-blame
- anxiety and fear
- insomnia, sleep disturbance, fatigue or nightmares
- bedwetting
- aches and pains
- acting out and oppositional behaviours
- racing heartbeat, edginess and agitation.
If you see these signs as the child's carer, it is important to raise them with your Child Safety Officer. Some of these signs are associated with other causes and childhood illness so it is worthwhile also speaking to the child's doctor.
Helpful tips for helping children who have experienced trauma
- Understand that trauma in a child or young person’s background can create fear and stress sensitivity. Try and be aware of and tune into how the child in your care signals this.
- Provide consistent and predictable routines. This may include regular bedtimes or mealtimes but also telling the child about what is coming up next and what is expected of them.
- Being responsive. When a child seeks support be available and interact. Try to acknowledge the good intentions of the child even where their behaviour may not be ideal.
- Plan ahead for difficult situations and responses you might use when a child reacts and have responses in place.
- Making time to talk to the child about their feelings or talking about what happened to them.
- Managing your own reactions and take time to calm yourself when you have a strong emotional response to the child or young person.
- Acknowledge the child’s efforts, providing praise and encouragement. Where possible continually provide opportunities for the child to repair relationships.
- Encourage the child to engage in physical or relaxation exercises. Exercise stimulates the chemicals that improve mood and release the stress that builds up over a day. Help them to practice strategies to relax.
- Model positive behaviours and coping skills. Utilise calm situations to demonstrate positive responses to stressful situations.
Additional guidance and practical ideas, tailored to the child in your care, can be provided by the child’s safety and support networks.
Resources
- Victorian Government's Child development and trauma guide
- headspace's trauma fact sheet