Care When It Counts: Establishing Trauma-Sensitive Care as a Preventative Approach for 0-3-Year-Old Children Suffering from Trauma and Chronic Stress

Adverse childhood experiences are an important societal concern. Children aged 0-3 are particularly vulnerable to unpredictable chronic stress due to the critical period for brain development and attachment. Trauma-sensitive care is a preventative approach to reduce the burden of stressful experienc...

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Main Authors: Serafine Dierickx (Author), Laura Malisse (Author), Elisa Bisagno (Author), Alessia Cadamuro (Author), Sarah Van Haeken (Author), Dorien Wuyts (Author), Zane Linde-Ozola (Author), Annija Kandãte (Author), Dorottya Morva (Author), Monika Rozsa (Author), Andrea Gruber (Author), Johanna M. C. Blom (Author), Laura Giovanna De Fazio (Author), Dima Bou Mosleh (Author), Dóra Varga-Sabján (Author), Anne Groenen (Author)
Format: Book
Published: MDPI AG, 2023-06-01T00:00:00Z.
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Summary:Adverse childhood experiences are an important societal concern. Children aged 0-3 are particularly vulnerable to unpredictable chronic stress due to the critical period for brain development and attachment. Trauma-sensitive care is a preventative approach to reduce the burden of stressful experiences by committing to positive relationships. Professional caregivers are ideally placed to offer trauma-sensitive care; however, earlier research reveals that the tools they need to consciously apply trauma-sensitive care principles are missing. The current study organized living labs (co-creative research method) to present trauma-sensitive care as a preventative approach aimed at children aged 0-3. Two living labs were organized in Belgium and Hungary, where professional caregivers collaborated to create a protocol that offers guidelines on how to implement trauma-sensitive care. The resulting protocol included a theoretical foundation on trauma as well as a translation of these guidelines into practical recommendations. The protocol was evaluated by incorporating it into a training intervention delivered to 100 professional caregivers from childcare organizations across four European countries. The protocol received positive feedback from participants, with results indicating a self-reported increase in knowledge, attitude and practice of trauma-sensitive care principles. We conclude that this trauma-sensitive care protocol is a promising answer to the needs of professional caregivers working with children aged 0-3.
Item Description:10.3390/children10061035
2227-9067