Are you looking for information on trauma-specific Signs & Symptoms? On this page you will find both general and trauma-specific symptoms by Physical, Behavioral and Emotional signs. In each trauma-specific page, you will find recommended books, see the top 5 personal stories and useful links.

Possible Emotional/Behavioral Signs of Child Abuse

• Sudden decline in school performance or acting out
• Intense anger, aggressiveness or disruptive behavior
• Extreme mood swings and crying spells
• Poor self-image or low self esteem
• Lack of or inability to trust
• Excessive nervousness, guilt or shame
• Sadness, withdrawal, depressed, or passive behavior
• Self-destructive, self-abusive, or suicidal
• Sexual concerns, preoccupations, or acting out sexually
• Refusal to remove outer garments
• Difficulty forming new relationships and peer problems
• Fear of being alone, going home, parents, or of other adults
• Intrusive, recurrent thoughts, flashbacks, or violent fantasies, nightmares or night terrors
• Refusal to discuss what occurs in their home, or being overly secretive
• Enuresis (bed wetting or daytime accidents)
• Eating disorders
• Memory problems
  
  

Possible Physical or Sexual Signs of Child Abuse

• Bruises, burns, cuts, swelling, welts, or bite marks
• Unexplained injuries and/or conflicting explanations
• Fractures (especially those that are spiral)
• Grab marks on the arms or shoulders
• Head injuries (including loss of hair from hair pulling)
• Eye, jaw, and nose fractures, or tooth injury
• Sexually transmitted disease

• Loss of appetite
• Complains of headaches or stomachaches.
• More fretful, anxious, crying and clinging
• Problems sleeping; may have more nightmares.
• Regression to infant behaviors (back to diapers, thumb sucking). May feel anger, may not understand why he or she feels that way. May worry when parent is out of sight. May withdraw, bite, or be irritable.
• May feel responsible and hold anger inside.
• Feels that he or she should be punished.
• May be accident-prone.
• May become aggressive and angry toward parent he or she lives with.
• Tries to take control over family. Tries to take advantage of parents' low energy and high stress levels.
• Experiences feelings of grief because of sudden absence of parent. Feels deceived and feels a sense of loss. Feels abandoned and rejected by the parent who left. May try to cut one or both parents out of her or his life if she or he feels rejected.
• Hopes parents will get back together.
• Ignores school and friendships. Fears nobody will be there to pick him or her up from school.
• Feels uncertain about the future: worries about the future and finances, including college tuition.
• Tries to recreate "what was."
• Feels angry and disillusioned. Has pleasant and unpleasant fantasies.
• Shows extreme behavior (good and bad).
• Becomes moralistic, or becomes involved in high-risk behaviors (drugs, shoplifting, skipping school). Tries to be an "angel" to bring the family back together.
• Feels like he or she will never be able to have a long-term relationship. Feels like he or she must grow up too soon.

Physical Symptoms

• Complaints of a being sick (stomachache, etc) every morning
• Children experiencing a hard time making decisions before school
• Forgetting assignments and items for school
• Often being late in preparing for school
• Saying they hate school and don't want to go
• Sick in morning but better in the afternoon until next morning
• Trouble sleeping (nightmares), or constant complaints of feeling tired
• Afraid to be left in a room alone
• Clingy behavior and follows a parent around
• Worries a lot about getting hurt, or someone else getting hurt
• Tantrums when forced to go to school

• Extended period of depression and loss of interest in daily activities and events
• Inability to sleep, loss of appetite, prolonged fear of being alone
• Acting much younger for an extended period
• Excessively imitating the dead person
• Repeated statements of wanting to join the dead person
• Withdrawal from friends
• Sharp drop in school performance or refusal to attend school

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