Abstract
Profound loss in childhood as a precipitant for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder has been a largely neglected subject. There is now some literature to suggest that severe loss and the absence of care may be as predictive of psychological distress in children as events that are more frequently studied, such as exposure to natural disasters and physical or sexual abuse. This paper combines the author's personal experience as an orphaned child who was placed in foster care with a discussion of this emerging literature to examine the relationship between childhood loss and trauma symptoms. An awareness of the traumatic nature of severe losses in childhood could help caregivers and mental health professionals deal more effectively with such children.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Eth S: PTSD in Children and Adolescents. Washington DC, American Psychiatric Publishing, 2001.
Seedat S, Stein DG: Biological treatment of PTSD in children and adolescents. In: Eth S ed., PTSD in Children and Adolescents, Washington DC, American Psychiatric Publishing, 2001.
Stoppelbein L, Greening L: Posttraumatic stress symptoms in parentally bereaved children and adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 39:1112-1119, 2000.
Benoit MB: Foster care. In: Sadock BJ, Sadock VA, eds., Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, Vol. II. Philadelphia, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2000.
Cournos F: City of One. New York, Norton, 1999.
Herman JL: Trauma and Recovery. New York, Basic Books, 1992.
Widom CS: Posttraumatic stress disorder in abused and neglected children grown up. American Journal of Psychiatry 156:1223-1229, 1999.
Johnson JG, Smailes EM, Cohen P: Associations between four types of childhood neglect and personality disorder symptoms during adolescence and early adulthood: findings of a community-based longitudinal study. Journal of Personality Disorders 14:171-187, 2000.
Cournos F: Parental death in childhood: Theory and therapy. Journal of Practical Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, 5:336-345, 1999.
Eth S, Pynoos R: Developmental perspective on psychic trauma in childhood. In: Figley CR, ed., Trauma and Its Wake. New York, Brunner/Mazel, 1985.
Rosenfeld AA, Pilowsky DJ, Fine P, et al. Foster care: An update. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 36:448-457, 1997.
Pfefferbaum B: Posttraumatic stress disorder in children: A review of the past ten years. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 36:1503-1511, 1997.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cournos, F. The Trauma of Profound Childhood Loss: A Personal and Professional Perspective. Psychiatr Q 73, 145–156 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015059812332
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015059812332