The Traumatic Stress in Reyna's Story

Reyna has a disaffected aspect when she talks about the younger parts of her childhood. It has an affect of reminding her readers that to her this was just a way of life. It also reads as someone telling a story from a standpoint of having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As Reyna gets older, we see more discussion of her thought processes; but, very early on her retelling different. As an example, Reyna recants stories about her paternal grandmothers treatment; but, she does not labor on her feelings about how her grandmother treated her. As an example, she discusses a shiny dress that was made for her to wear to her cousin's quinceanera. Her dress was made last and made wrong. So, rather than correcting the dress, the grandmother makes the child wear a dress that embarrasses her. Reyna has to wear a dress that marks her as different than all of the other children by it's lack of color flair. However, Reyna does not talk about how hurt she is or how much she dislikes her grandmother or any of that. Reyna simply relates the tale and tells us that she hid because her dress was different. When Reyna is stung by a scorpion and her grandmother is more concerned with money for a doctor than saving her granddaughter's life, Reyna does not discuss her reaction to this. Reyna simply relates her tale.

PTSD is a common result for those who have experienced a traumatic childhood. Reyna's sister, Mago, almost certainly displays symptoms of PTSD. The following information explains more about PTSD.

Stanford Children's website

What is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children?

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health problem. It can affect people of all ages. A child with PTSD keeps having scary thoughts and memories of a past event. He or she finds the event terrifying, either physically or emotionally.

The symptoms of PTSD may start soon after a stressful event. Or they may not happen for 6 months or longer. Some children with PTSD have long-term effects. They may feel emotionally numb for a very long time. PTSD in children often becomes a long-term (chronic) problem.

PTSD may be accompanied by:

  • Depression

  • Substance abuse

  • Anxiety

What causes PTSD in a child?

A traumatic event that triggers PTSD may be:

  • Something that happened to the child

  • Something that happened to someone close to the child

  • Something the child saw

A child or teen may suffer from PTSD after one of these traumatic events:

  • Bad accidents, such as car or train wrecks

  • Invasive medical procedures, especially for children younger than age 6

  • Animal bites

  • Natural disasters, such as floods or earthquakes

  • Manmade tragedies, such as bombings

  • Violent personal attacks, such as a mugging, rape, torture, or kidnapping

  • Physical abuse

  • Sexual assault

  • Sexual abuse

  • Emotional abuse or bullying

  • Neglect

Which children are at risk for PTSD?

A child’s risk for PTSD is often affected by:

  • How close the child was to the traumatic event

  • How bad the event was

  • How long the event lasted

  • If the event happened more than once

  • How well the child is able to recover quickly from difficult things (resiliency)

  • How well the child copes

  • How supportive a child’s family and community are after the event

What are the symptoms of PTSD in a child?

Children and teens with PTSD feel a lot of emotional and physical distress when exposed to situations that remind them of the traumatic event. Some may relive the trauma over and over again. They may have nightmares and disturbing memories during the day. They may also:

  • Have problems sleeping

  • Feel depressed or grouchy

  • Feel nervous, jittery, or alert and watchful (on guard)

  • Lose interest in things they used to enjoy. They may seem detached or numb and are not responsive.

  • Have trouble feeling affectionate

  • Be more aggressive than before, even violent

  • Stay away from certain places or situations that bring back memories

  • Have flashbacks. These can be images, sounds, smells, or feelings. The child may believe the event is happening again.

  • Lose touch with reality

  • Reenact an event for seconds or hours or, in rare cases, days

  • Have problems in school

  • Have trouble focusing

  • Worry about dying at a young age

  • Act younger than their age, such as thumb-sucking or bedwetting

  • Have physical symptoms, such as headaches or stomachaches

Harvard Health publishing explains, "Child abuse is particularly likely to affect your adult life because it occurs at a time when your brain is vulnerable — and it often occurs at the hands of people who are supposed to be your protectors"
(https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/past-trauma-may-haunt-your-future-health).

This site includes more information:

A child's perception of events is as important as what actually occurred.

It occurs more frequently in people who have certain risk factors, including those living in poverty. It may affect people who have a close relative who experienced those things as well, says Dr. Ressler.

Exposure and risk

Your risk for mental and physical health problems from a past trauma goes up with the number of these events you've experienced. For example, your risk for problems is much higher if you've had three or more negative experiences, called adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), says Roberts.

These include

  • physical abuse
  • sexual abuse
  • emotional abuse
  • physical neglect
  • emotional neglect
  • witnessing domestic violence
  • substance misuse within the household
  • mental illness within the household
  • parental separation or divorce
  • incarceration of a household member.

Medical conditions resulting from trauma

Most of the research related to trauma and chronic disease risk has focused on childhood trauma, says Dr. Ressler. Early childhood trauma is a risk factor for almost everything, from adult depression to PTSD and most psychiatric disorders, as well as a host of medical problems, including cardiovascular problems such as heart attack and stroke, cancer, and obesity.

These effects likely reflect two factors:

Behavioral changes resulting from trauma. People who are suffering from traumatic memories may try to escape them by participating in risky behaviors such as drinking, smoking, drug use, or even overeating for comfort. "Those can all be used as a coping mechanism, a way of dealing with emotional dysregulation that occurs when someone has been traumatized," says Roberts. These habits, in turn, lead to health problems.

Physical effects related to trauma. The problem goes beyond unhealthy habits. Experts believe that there is actually a direct biological effect that occurs when your body undergoes extreme stress. When you experience something anxiety-provoking, your stress response activates. Your body produces more adrenaline, your heart races, and your body primes itself to react, says Roberts. Someone who has experienced trauma may have stronger surges of adrenaline and experience them more often than someone who has not had the same history. This causes wear and tear on the body — just as it would in a car where the engine was constantly revving and racing, she says. Stress responses have also been demonstrated in people who have experienced discrimination throughout their lives. "It ages your system faster," says Roberts.

Chronic stress can increase inflammation in the body, and inflammation has been associated with a broad range of illness, including cardiovascular disease and autoimmune diseases, says Roberts. Early trauma disrupts the inflammatory system. This can lead to long-term aberrations in this system and chronic health problems triggered by constant inflammation. Typically, the more trauma you've experienced, the worse your health is.

·        The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (www.istss.org)

·        The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (www.adaa.org)

·        The National Center for PTSD (www.ptsd.va.gov).

Thinking back on behavior from Reyna's family it seems that her siblings have varying forms of PTSD. Reyna's story seems to resolve a little more as it progresses. Reyna's outcome is that of peace, understanding, forgiveness, and success. However, as is explained it is not without great cost to her.

Many children like Reyna do not have outcomes as good.

Please use this website or call the number listed there if you need help. People do care and there is help.

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