Defining trauma, adversity, & toxic stress

A shift is occurring in how children who consistently exhibit disruptive behavior are viewed by helping professionals: from inherently bad to psychologically troubled. In the late 20th century, several social influences converged to draw attention to the psychological consequences of experiences of trauma, especially in the form of childhood abuse. This eventuality led to the emergence of a line of research demonstrating that a range of unfavorable events early in development, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), were associated with substantially increased risk for an extensive array of unfavorable health and psychological maladies. Initially focused on trauma and other harmful factors within the child’s family context, ACE research evolved toward illuminating conditions in children’s larger social environment-their neighborhood and beyond-that contributed to a pervasive atmosphere of toxic stress. Here, we elucidate the constructs of trauma, adversity, and toxic stress, and consider how these influences promote disruptive behavior in childhood and for at-risk youth in general. The chapter concludes with a vignette describing the interactions of trauma, adversity, and toxic stress on the functioning and lived experience of an at-risk youth, who exemplifies the experience of so many others who are trying to survive and cope on a daily basis.