Maltreatment, Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders

Flashcards covering definitions, types, risk factors, and neurobiological impacts of maltreatment and trauma based on the PSYC356 lecture notes.

Traumatic Events

Exposure to actual or threatened harm or fear of death or injury, considered extreme stressors.

Trauma

The ongoing consequences of experiencing a traumatic event.

Maltreatment

Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation.

Stressful Events

Situations that are more common and less extreme than traumatic events, such as bullying, exam stress, or health issues.

Stress

The tension or worry caused by difficult situations when the demands placed on an individual exceed available resources.

Physical Abuse

Multiple acts of aggression, including punching, beating, kicking, biting, burning, or shaking a child, often resulting from over-discipline.

Emotional Abuse

Repeated acts or omissions that may cause serious behavioral, cognitive, emotional problems, or mental disorders, typically existing in all forms of maltreatment.

Sexual Abuse

Inappropriate touching of a child’s genitals, rape, exhibitionism, and exploitation for sex or the production of pornographic materials.

Neglect

The failure to provide food, shelter, clothing, or adequate supervision for a child.

Educational Neglect

Failing to enroll a child of mandatory school age in school or allowing chronic truancy.

Hostile Attribution Bias

A social information processing tendency where a child is more likely to identify neutral or negative facial expressions as anger.

HPA Axis

The Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenocortical axis, which represents the body's stress-response system.

Positive Stress Response

A brief, mild-to-moderate stress response usually occurring with a supportive caregiver present.

Tolerable Stress Response

Activation of the stress response triggered by atypical stressors, where protective adults help buffer the physiological impact.

Toxic Stress Response

Strong, frequent, or prolonged activation of the body’s stress response in the absence of buffering protection from a supportive adult relationship.

Homeostasis

The state of internal stability within the body.

Allostasis

The process of maintaining stability by active means, such as by putting out stress hormones and other mediators.

Allostatic Load

The wear and tear to the body and brain caused by the use of allostasis, particularly when mediators are dysregulated.

Resilience

The ability to maintain functioning or recover effectively in the face of trauma and adversity.

Post-traumatic Growth

The identification of personal strengths, appreciation for life, enhanced spirituality, and improved relationships following a traumatic experience.

Coping

Regulatory processes activated in response to stress, which change in complexity and strategy across development.

Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)

Persistent symptoms following a trauma that last for a minimum of $3$ days and a maximum of $1$ month.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A disorder characterized by symptoms of intrusion, avoidance, mood/cognition alterations, and arousal lasting more than $1$ month after exposure to trauma.

Depersonalization

A dissociative symptom where an individual feels detached from and as if they were an outside observer of their own mental processes or body.

Derealization

A dissociative symptom where an individual experiences their surroundings as unreal, dreamlike, distant, or distorted.

Developmental Trauma Disorder

Complex and pervasive exposure to life-threatening events during sensitive periods of development that disrupts attachments and compromises safety operations.

TF-CBT

Trauma-Focused Cognitive-behavioral therapy; a multicomponent treatment model for PTSD that includes parent treatment, relaxation, and trauma narrative.