National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day. May 9, 2012

As National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day approaches on May 9, 2012, a data point will be released at least once a month about trauma and resilience in children and youth. Help raise awareness about the importance of children's mental health by sharing these data points with your distribution list of child-, youth-, and family-serving organizations, associations, agencies, and individuals and encouraging them to share with their contacts.

February 2012

Among a sample of youth in juvenile detention, 93 percent of males and 84 percent of females reported exposure to a traumatic experience. Eleven percent of males and 15 percent of females met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD and other mental health challenges can impair a youth's capacity to reach age-appropriate developmental goals.

With help from families, friends, providers, and other Heroes of Hope, children and youth can be resilient when dealing with trauma. Visit http://1.usa.gov/zKxV8K to learn more.

January 2012

Children and youth who experience trauma display increases in stress hormones comparable to those displayed in combat veterans. Researchers point to multiple potential outcomes for children exposed to trauma, including attachment, mood regulation, dissociation, self-concept challenges, and behavioral, cognition, and biological changes, all of which can have a negative impact on school attendance, learning, and academic achievement.

With help from families, friends, providers, and other Heroes of Hope, children and youth can be resilient when dealing with trauma. Visit http://1.usa.gov/AbbNsM to learn more.

May 2011

When exposed to a traumatic event, children as young as 18 months can have serious emotional and behavioral problems later in childhood and in adulthood. More than 35 percent of children exposed to a single traumatic event will develop serious mental health problems.

With help from families, providers, and the community, young children can demonstrate resilience when dealing with trauma. Visit http://1.usa.gov/eURFX5 to learn more.

Late April 2011

In 2009, researchers found that more than 60 percent of youth age 17 and younger have been exposed to crime, violence and abuse either directly or indirectly including witnessing a violent act, assault with a weapon, sexual victimization, child maltreatment and dating violence. Nearly 10 percent were injured during the exposure to violence, 10 percent were exposed to maltreatment by caretaker, and 6 percent were a victim of sexual assault.

With help from families, providers, and the community, children and youth can demonstrate resilience when dealing with trauma. Visit http://1.usa.gov/fAInvl to learn more.

April 2011

As the number of traumatic events experienced during childhood increases, the risk for the following problems in adulthood increases: depression; alcoholism; drug abuse; suicide attempts; heart and liver disease; pregnancy problems; high stress; uncontrollable anger; and family, financial, and job problems.
With help from families, providers, and the community, children and youth can be resilient when dealing with trauma. Visit http://1.usa.gov/h1fWPD to learn more.

March 2011

Studies on the brain show that physical, emotional, or sexual abuse in childhood can cause permanent damage to the brain, reduce the size of parts of the brain, impact the way a child’s brain copes with daily stress, and can result in enduring problems such as depression, anxiety, aggression, impulsiveness, delinquency, hyperactivity, and substance abuse.

With help from families, providers, and the community, young children can demonstrate resilience when dealing with trauma. Visit http://1.usa.gov/faK4p1 to learn more.

February 2011

Young children exposed to 5 or more significant adversities in the first 3 years of childhood face a 76 percent likelihood of having one or more delays in their cognitive, language, or emotional development.
With help from families, providers, and the community, young children can demonstrate resilience when dealing with trauma. Visit http://bit.ly/ik4yas to learn more.