# Trauma --- **Trauma** is a lasting emotional impact of a significant, distressing or disturbing event or series of events. The term "trauma" can also refer to physical damage to a bodily tissue, but in these notes we will default to referring to the emotional kind of trauma. Trauma is an individual reaction. What one person may walk off, another person may become traumatized. Trauma that is unresolved can lead to [[post traumatic stress disorder]], or PTSD. 70% of adults in the US have experience some form of trauma. As [[nursing|healthcare workers]], we should operate on the assumption that everyone we has experienced some form of trauma in their past, and use [[trauma informed care]] in our practice. Trauma can lead to many lasting effects on a person, including their mental and physical health. Signs and symptoms of trauma can be: - emotional - anxiety, depression, anger, guilt, shame, fear, sadness - behavioral - withdrawal, isolation, substance use, self-harm, risky behaviors - cognitive - difficulty concentrating, memory problems, flashbacks, nightmares - physical - fatigue, headaches, stomachaches, sleep disturbances ## ACEs **Adverse childhood experiences** or **ACEs** are potentially traumatic events or situations that lead to an increased risk of developing trauma. Book recommendation: The body keeps the score ## Impact of Trauma on Healthcare Workers **Secondary trauma stress** or **STS** is a term that refers to the emotional stress taken on when hearing about the firsthand trauma of another. The rates of STS among [[nursing|helping professions]] are quite high (up to 40% of clinicians). Increased rates of job satisfaction are associated with lower STS rates (question: is that cause or effect?). **Vicarious trauma** is a the cumulative transformative effect of the helper working with someone or many people who have experienced traumatic events. ___