Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders

Study Notes

Trauma- and stressor-related disorders are characterized by exposure to a traumatic or stressful event, causing anhedonia, dysphoria, externalized anger, aggression, and dissociation.
Social neglect during childhood is a crucial factor in both reactive attachment disorder and disinhibited social engagement disorder.
Exaggerated grief beyond normal grieving processes can lead to prolonged grief disorder.

Children with reactive attachment disorder exhibit a pattern of inhibited, emotionally withdrawn behavior towards caregivers.
They rarely seek comfort when distressed and show minimal response to comfort.
The disorder is characterized by social and emotional disturbances, including minimal responsiveness to others, limited positive affect, and episodes of unexplained irritability, sadness, or fearfulness during non-threatening interactions.
The disorder stems from a pattern of insufficient caregiving during childhood, such as social neglect, frequent caregiver changes, or limitations in opportunities to form attachments in unusual settings.
Reactive attachment disorder should not be diagnosed in children who can't form selective attachments.
Diagnosis requires caution in children over 5 years old.
Reactive attachment disorder often co-occurs with developmental delays, especially in cognitive and language skills.
Children may show stereotypical behavior and signs of neglect, like malnutrition.

Children with disinhibited social engagement disorder actively approach and interact with unfamiliar adults.
They exhibit reduced or absent reticence towards unfamiliar adults.
Their behavior with unfamiliar adults may be overly familiar verbally or physically.
Children with this disorder show diminished or absent checking back with caregivers after venturing away from them, even in unfamiliar settings.
The disorder stems from a history of insufficient caregiving, leading to a lack of selective attachments in childhood.
The disorder often co-occurs with developmental delays, especially in cognitive and language skills.