Type III Trauma: Toward a More Effective Conceptualization of Psychological Trauma

Abstract

Research on offenders and crime victims underscores the importance of identifying trauma-related events and treating their effects. The authors build on the work of psychiatrist Lenore Terr, who distinguished Types I and II psychological trauma, by proposing a third category, Type III trauma. Type III trauma occurs when an individual experiences multiple, pervasive, violent events beginning at an early age and continuing over a long period of time. Diagnostic criteria include alterations in memory and consciousness, frequently including dissociation; emotional numbing; major developmental deficits; poorly developed, often fragmented, sense of self; a core belief that he or she is fatally flawed and has no right to be alive; a sense of hopelessness and shame; trust issues that interfere with normal relationships; and no concept of a future. Treatment of individuals who have sustained Type III trauma is more complex and demanding relative to survivors of Types I or II trauma.

The co-occurrence of zinc deficiency and social isolation has the opposite effects on mood compared with either condition alone due to changes in the central norepinephrine system

“…Therefore, the effects of both SI and ZD observed in this study are considered to be similar to those of such situations. Neglect, particularly during early childhood, is a form of type III trauma; i.e., extreme trauma characterized by multiple traumatic experiences that typically begin at an early age and might be perceived as life-threatening [44]. Traumatic stress caused by childhood neglect compromises homeostasis and leads to a range of long-term biological changes involving the nervous and endocrine systems [45,46].…”

An Examination of the CROPS and BASC-2-SRP-A among Adjudicated Youth

“…For example, while the DSM emphasizes re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal in response to a discrete event, some youth are exposed to prolonged abuse and neglect at the hands of caregivers (Robertson et al, 2008). As a result, youth may exhibit additional symptoms consistent with complex trauma, which can include alterations in consciousness, self-perception, affect regulation, perception of the perpetrator, relations with others, and systems of meaning (Ford, Chapman, Pearson, Borum, & Wolpaw, 2008;Herman, 1992;Kerig, Moeddel, & Becker, 2011;Soloman & Heide, 1999). Second, youth may be resistant to report exposure to potentially stigmatizing events.…”

Prevalence of Exposure to Complex Trauma and Community Violence and Their Associations With Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms

“…Ordinal logistic regressions showed that children who were exposed to one or more traumatic experiences were more likely to score within a higher range of internalizing and externalizing symptoms than children with no history of trauma. Finally, exposure to community violence was an important predictor of symptomatology beyond the effects of CT.Keywords: Childhood Trauma Questionnaire; complex trauma; early adversity; community violence, trauma assessment.Complex trauma (CT) concerns the consequences of multiple experiences of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, and emotional or physical neglect at an early age within a caregiving context (Bernstein et al, 2003;Mendelsohn et al, 2011;Solomon, 1999). The effects of CT on psychological development and symptomatology have been extensively studied during the past two decades (Anda et al, 2006;Cummings & Berkowitz, 2014;Dong et al, 2004;Dube et al, 2001;Geffner & Tishelman, 2011).…”