Maltreatment, Trauma-, and Stressor-Related Disorders Practice Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers terminology related to child maltreatment, stress responses, neurobiological impacts, and trauma-related clinical disorders like PTSD.

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

Abuse and/or neglect of a person, which is a specific type of traumatic event.

Stress

Worry or tension caused when the demands placed on an individual exceed available resources.

Act of Commission

A recent act by a parent or caretaker that results in death, serious harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation.

Act of Omission

A failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker that results in serious harm or presents an imminent risk of harm.

Neglect

The most common form of child maltreatment, accounting for approximately $75\%$ of cases.

Physical Abuse

Multiple acts of aggression including punching, beating, kicking, biting, or burning, often resulting from over-discipline or severe physical punishment.

Emotional Abuse

Repeated acts or omissions that may cause serious behavioral, cognitive, or emotional problems; it typically exists in all forms of maltreatment.

Sexual Abuse

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

Educational Neglect

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

Medical Neglect

A refusal or delay in seeking necessary medical care for a child.

Hostile Attribution Bias

A social information processing tendency to identify neutral facial expressions as anger and orient attention toward angry cues faster.

Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal (HPA) Axis

The brain-body stress-response system that may show long-term alterations in reactivity following maltreatment.

Hyperresponsive Reactions

An over-active stress response associated with HPA-axis overactivation and increased glucocorticoids like cortisol.

Hyporesponsive Reactions

An under-reactive stress response associated with HPA-axis suppression and reduced glucocorticoids.

Multifinality

A principle of developmental psychopathology where early childhood maltreatment can lead to many different long-term outcomes, including anxiety, depression, and substance use.

Positive Stress Response

A brief, mild-to-moderate stress response, usually occurring in the presence of a supportive caregiver.

Tolerable Stress Response

A response to atypical stressors, such as a natural disaster or serious illness, where protective adults help buffer the response.

Toxic Stress Response

Strong, frequent, or prolonged activation of the stress response system in the absence of buffering protection from a supportive adult.

Homeostasis

The state of internal stability that the stress-response system naturally tries to maintain.

Allostasis

The active process of maintaining stability through the release of stress hormones and other mediators.

Allostatic Load

The cumulative wear and tear on the body and brain caused by dysregulated mediators of allostasis.

Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)

A diagnosis characterized by persistent symptoms appearing for a minimum of $3$ days and a maximum of $1$ month following a trauma.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A diagnosis for trauma-related symptoms that last for a duration of more than $1$ month.

Depersonalization

A dissociative symptom involving persistent experiences of feeling detached from one's own mental processes or body, as if being an outside observer.

Derealization

A dissociative symptom characterized by persistent experiences of unreality regarding one's surroundings, such as the world appearing dreamlike or distorted.

PTSD with Delayed Expression

A specification used if the diagnostic threshold for PTSD is not reached until at least $6$ months after the event.

Developmental Trauma Disorder

A term for complex trauma resulting from pervasive exposure to life-threatening events during sensitive periods, which disrupts attachments and cognitive control.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

A multicomponent treatment model for PTSD that includes psychoeducation, relaxation, and the creation of a trauma narrative.