Adverse experiences

Adverse Experiences For Youth Are All Too Common

(Reposted with Permission from Paul Meunier)

Adverse experiences are a common denominator among the young people served by Youth Intervention programs. For young people who experience trauma, many will struggle with social, emotional or behavioral problems as they grow up.

It is estimated that 66% of youth may have at least one adverse experience in their history and more than 20% may have three or more adverse experiences. With this prevalence, youth workers must have a thorough knowledge of the impact of adverse experiences and how to effectively work with youth who have had experienced them.

Some of the adverse experiences youth experience are:

• Emotional abuse or neglect – Youth are told they are no good, are stupid or are at fault for problems. Others may be ignored, made to feel unimportant or are excluded from positive emotional connections with their caregivers.
• Physical abuse or neglect – Youth are hit, pushed or slapped hard enough to leave a mark or cause injury. Not having their basic needs met (e.g. food, health care, shelter) can make youth feel unsafe.
• Sexual abuse – Youth are exploited by a caregiver or stranger; they forced the youth to touch or be touched in a sexual manner or to engage in intercourse.
• Problems in the household where care is given – Issues such as mental health, chemical abuse, domestic violence or other maladaptive behaviors are present and create instability or unpredictability in care giving.

Results from the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) study indicate that different types of trauma can lead to a diverse array of maladaptive behaviors in our youth.

It’s not difficult to spot behaviors that have resulted from adverse experiences. Throwing a chair in the classroom or a youth cutting their arms to the point of bleeding can’t be missed. However, it does take skill to identify the trauma that is the root cause of the behavior and know how to appropriately respond.

Simply trying to change the behavior is not effective for promoting a youth’s long-term healthy development. Rather than resolving the issue, there is the potential to do more harm than good.

It is important that the Youth Intervention services we provide are trauma informed.

Trauma informed care means:

• Understanding the impact of trauma
• Being able to recognize and identify symptoms of trauma
• Using evidence-based practices
• Having policies procedures in place specific to addressing the various cognitive, emotional and behavioral problems associated with trauma
• Being committed to avoiding the re-traumatizing the youth

Youth Intervention programs that utilized trauma informed care will:

• Screen for adverse experiences in youth. It is a component of their intake.
• Consider the impact of adverse experiences in all their interactions with youth. It is a constant awareness and not just when a youth is in crisis.
• Help caregivers of youth understand the impact that trauma has on youth and provide restorative techniques that will also help caregivers to heal.
• Set out to help young people understand how the adverse experiences have influenced their life. The intent is to help youth turn negative self-beliefs into an understanding of why they do what they do.
• Help youth develop coping skills that can help heal past experiences or to cope with experiences that are likely to continue in their care giving

Without appropriate intervention, youth who experience trauma could easily become the next generation of caregivers unable to provide their children with a nurturing environment. On a much larger scale, if this cycle is to be broken, Youth Intervention must be considered an essential service so that all youth get the help they need.

Paul Meunier is the Executive Director of the Youth Intervention Programs Association (YIPA)