From the book:
Hope & Healing: A Caregiver's Guide to Helping Young Children Affected by Trauma http://bpdfamily.com/message_board/index.php?topic=125807.0WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACUTE AND CHRONIC TRAUMA?
Acute trauma is a single traumatic event - such as a serious car accident - taht overwhelms a child's ability to cope. Chronic trauma (also called complex trauma) means exposure to more than one - often many - traumatic events over time. Children who live in violent neighbourhoods or violent homes (or both) may experience trauma repeatedly. A child who lives in an environment that exposes him to the threat of physical and sexual abuse is at great risk for chronic traumatization. Primary caregivers i these environment often cannot protect the child and his interpersonal world is in a constant state of crises. He has no holding environment.
The Impact of Traumatic Events Depends on:
The Child
Age
Developmental stage
Temperament
Developmental delays
History of emotional or behavioural problems
The Traumatic Event
Acute trauma
Chronic trauma
Intensity
Child's proximity to traumatic event
Injury to the primary caregiver
Loss of the primary caregiver
Extent of physical injury to child
The Social Environment
Availability of the parent or other primary caregiver as a support to the child
Ability of the parent or other primary caregiver to help the child cope
Level of family stress and coping ability prior to traumatic event
Ability of the family to cope with current stressors
Family routines and stability
Availability of social supports in the community
