Why We Need a Developmentally Appropriate Trauma Diagnosis for Children: a 10-Year Update on Developmental Trauma Disorder

Temporal-Posterior Alpha Power in Resting-State Electroencephalography as a Potential Marker of Complex Childhood Trauma in Institutionalized Adolescents

The present study explored whether, given the association of temporal alpha with fear circuitry (learning and conditioning), exposure to complex childhood trauma (CCT) is reflected in the temporal-posterior alpha power in resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) in complex trauma-exposed adolescents in a sample of 25 adolescents and similar controls aged 12-17 years. Both trauma and psychopathology were screened or assessed, and resting-state EEG was recorded following a preregistered protocol for data collection. Temporal-posterior alpha power, corresponding to the T5 and T6 electrode locations (international 10-20 system), was extracted from resting-state EEG in both eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. We found that in the eyes-open condition, temporal-posterior alpha was significantly lower in adolescents exposed to CCT relative to healthy controls, suggesting that childhood trauma exposure may have a measurable impact on alpha oscillatory patterns. Our study highlights the importance of considering potential neural markers, such as temporal-posterior alpha power, to understanding the long-term consequences of CCT exposure in developmental samples, with possible important clinical implications in guiding neuroregulation interventions.

Introduction to the Special Section: Developmental Perspectives on Trauma Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress

This article provides an introduction and overview of the current special section devoted to developmental perspectives on trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress reactions. Although there have been many revisions to the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis in the four decades that have ensued since its inclusion in our diagnostic systems, and many decades of empirical and clinical work investigating the differential effects of traumatic stress on children and adolescents, a truly developmental perspective is still lacking in the diagnosis. In a call to address this gap, this article outlines principles of developmental psychopathology as applied to the phenomenology of trauma and points to potential developmental transformations in the expression of posttraumatic stress across developmental epochs. The introduction then goes on to describe the valuable contributions to the literature represented by the six teams of contributing authors to this present special section, in which they discuss stability and change in posttraumatic symptom expression across development, the current state of validation research on the proposed diagnosis of Developmental Trauma Disorder, complex symptom arrays in children who have been complexly traumatized, distinctions between Complex PTSD and emerging personality pathology, developmental perspectives on prolonged grief, and developmental considerations for understanding the intersection between trauma and moral injury. It is hoped that this collection of articles will serve to stimulate new research and inform effective interventions for young persons affected by traumatic stress.

Developmental trauma: Conceptual framework, associated risks and comorbidities, and evaluation and treatment

Children exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and pervasive interpersonal traumas may go on to develop PTSD and, in most cases, will further undergo a significant shift in their developmental trajectory. This paper examines contemporary research on Developmental Trauma (DT), which is inextricably linked to disruptions in social cognition, physiological and behavioral regulation, and parent-child attachments. Developmental trauma associated with early experiences of abuse or neglect leads to multi-faceted and longstanding consequences and underscores critical periods of development, complex stress-mediated adaptations, and multilevel, trans-theoretical influences in the diagnostic formulation and treatment of traumatized children, adolescents, and adults. Psychological and medical correlates of Developmental Trauma Disorder are considered, and directions for future research are discussed.