Children (Jun 2023)

Care When It Counts: Establishing Trauma-Sensitive Care as a Preventative Approach for 0–3-Year-Old Children Suffering from Trauma and Chronic Stress

  • Serafine Dierickx,
  • Laura Malisse,
  • Elisa Bisagno,
  • Alessia Cadamuro,
  • Sarah Van Haeken,
  • Dorien Wuyts,
  • Zane Linde-Ozola,
  • Annija Kandãte,
  • Dorottya Morva,
  • Monika Rozsa,
  • Andrea Gruber,
  • Johanna M. C. Blom,
  • Laura Giovanna De Fazio,
  • Dima Bou Mosleh,
  • Dóra Varga-Sabján,
  • Anne Groenen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/children10061035
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 6
p. 1035

Abstract

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Adverse childhood experiences are an important societal concern. Children aged 0–3 are particularly vulnerable to unpredictable chronic stress due to the critical period for brain development and attachment. Trauma-sensitive care is a preventative approach to reduce the burden of stressful experiences by committing to positive relationships. Professional caregivers are ideally placed to offer trauma-sensitive care; however, earlier research reveals that the tools they need to consciously apply trauma-sensitive care principles are missing. The current study organized living labs (co-creative research method) to present trauma-sensitive care as a preventative approach aimed at children aged 0–3. Two living labs were organized in Belgium and Hungary, where professional caregivers collaborated to create a protocol that offers guidelines on how to implement trauma-sensitive care. The resulting protocol included a theoretical foundation on trauma as well as a translation of these guidelines into practical recommendations. The protocol was evaluated by incorporating it into a training intervention delivered to 100 professional caregivers from childcare organizations across four European countries. The protocol received positive feedback from participants, with results indicating a self-reported increase in knowledge, attitude and practice of trauma-sensitive care principles. We conclude that this trauma-sensitive care protocol is a promising answer to the needs of professional caregivers working with children aged 0–3.

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