Traumatic Experiences: A Case Study

The study found a connection between early exposure to painful experiences, such as circumcision, and a heightened reaction to future situations of pain in similar settings, i.e. a vaccination at the doctor’s office (Gaensbauer, 2002, p. 263). What is most distressing is the consideration to the affected child later in life. Clearly, traumatic experiences can greatly alter a normal child’s development.
In a case study conducted by Kaplow, et al. (2006), an 11-year-old girl, named Rachel, experienced debilitating PTSD symptoms from a rock tossed through her window at night, (p. 362). Rachel had experienced pervading symptoms for the previous ten years, after she witnessed her father murder her mother while being held by her mother at 19 months old (Kaplow, et al., 2006). The traumatic event began with her father breaking a window, to gain entry into the house (Kaplow, et al., 2006). After Kaplow met with Rachel a clear assessment was determined that she had PTSD, however, it became clear that Rachel “was unable to articulate her fears” (Kaplow, et al., 2006, p. 362). Even from the pharmaceutical perspective, Maccani, et al. (2012), concede that due to the intricacy of PTSD, “multiple approaches may be needed to prevent PTSD in trauma-exposed youth” (p. 547).
Kaplow, et al. (2006), summarized the above concerns