- How does trauma exposure impact psychological, physical, spiritual, environmental, and social well-being?
Experiencing trauma severely negatively affects a person in all dimensions of their wellness. Stress puts extra pressure on the body and increases the number of hormones that circulate as well as increase the workload of several critical muscles such as the heart and lungs. Someone’s psychological well-being can be the most critically impacted in my opinion since it links with physical as well. Being in a hypervigilant state a large portion of the time forces the body to use more energy and again increase the overall workload to a point where someone can be in constant fear and anxiety but yet extremely fatigued. Spiritual well-being is affected and can cause an individual to feel less trust in their beliefs or can increase as a result of the trauma event and feeling comfort in their spirituality. Social well-being can diminish as an individual who has experienced trauma can feel embarrassed to divulge that they have experienced a traumatic event, be more anxious around other people or even want to spend time away from other people. Environmental well-being can be affected as an individual may avoid the location where the trauma occurred or over time start to see similarities in their own environment as the trauma event environment had. Each of these aspects blend into one another and all perspectives should be balanced and analyzed to assist a person work on their well-being.
- What are some long-term impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACES)?
Adverse childhood experiences have been linked to several negative health outcomes and can increase a person’s likelihood of developing chronic health conditions. According to the CDC, ACES account for “up to 1.9 million cases of heart disease and 21 million cases of depression.” The higher number of adverse childhood experiences an individual has incrasese their chance to experience or participate in risky behaviors later in life such as: injury, STIs, sex trafficking, unsafe sex practices, chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease and suicide. These experiences bring on an increased amount of stress on the individual and can change their perception and decision-making process when faced with unsafe situations. In addition to having higher chances of developing health conditions, individuals may also have difficulty in forming and maintaining relationships with others, having a consistent work history and managing their finances. (CDC, 2020).
- How will you apply the Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) principles to your future nursing practice?
As a future nurse, I will work towards utilizing trauma-informed care in my everyday care by following several steps. The first step would be to approach each patient in a caring safe manner and treat each patient the same and start developing a therapeutic relationship with them. Meeting the individual where they are at, speaking in calm tones, maintaining eye contact, listening to what they have to say and include them in their own care and care plan. If an individual were to disclose any information with me I would ensure that I would thank them for sharing that with me and take steps if needed to report. I think an important aspect of trauma informed care is working on building up the individual’s empowerment and ensuring they know they have a voice in their own care and are in the driver’s seat for their own health and the choices they make.
