Social and Emotional Impacts of Medical Trauma on Students and Families

Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

Eleos Counseling

First Presenter’s Email Address

Elizabeth@EleosAthens.com

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Elizabeth Marston is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker living in Athens, Georgia. She completed her MSW at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has pursued advanced training in trauma and completed basic and advanced training for EMDR. In her private practice, she works primarily with emerging adults. She specializes in working with clients diagnosed with personality disorders as well as complex trauma.

Location

Session Five Breakouts (Vernon)

Strand #1

Health: Mental & Physical Health

Strand #2

Heart: Social & Emotional Skills

Relevance

This presentation is relevant to the Heart and Health strands in that it will focus both on the mental and physical health aspects of illness and injury (Health) as well as the social and emotional impacts (Heart) of medical trauma.

Brief Program Description

For many who have experienced a life-altering diagnosis, injury, or medical event, the mental toll is often hidden. While the body heals with the aid of treatment, the social and emotional wounds remain untouched. This presentation will discuss how to identify medical trauma symptoms and interventions that can increase social and emotional health in the wake of a medical trauma.

Summary

The possibility of illness and injury constantly looms over all of us. This has become even more present in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. While medical issues in our communities are often met with immediate responses of care in the form of well-wishes, food, and offers to help, what is often missed is the need for mental health care in the wake of a medical trauma. Even as physical healing occurs, the impact of injury or illness can be lasting, long after the physical healing is over.

Medical trauma is defined as a set of psychological and physiological reactions to injury, diagnosis, illness, and/or treatment of a medical condition. As with the diagnosis of PTSD, these trauma responses can be experienced by the person receiving the diagnosis and/or treatment, but they can also be experienced by people who are witnessing or otherwise being impacted by the circumstances of the medical condition.

This presentation will discuss the prevalence of medical-related trauma, including reference to the collective trauma experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The emotional and social impacts of medical trauma will be outlined, and impacts for individuals as well as the family systems involved will be described. The presentation will emphasize the importance of awareness of how medical issues can cause long-lasting trauma responses. It will also provide guidance on identifying symptoms of a traumatic response and interventions to use in working with students and families, as well as signals that a student or family may need to be referred to someone who specializes in trauma treatment.

Evidence

This presentation is built upon the research and work of the trauma experts and medical researchers listed below:

Cordova, M.J., Riba, M.B., & Spiegel, D. (2017). Post-traumatic stress disorder and cancer. The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(4):330–8. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30014-7.

Edmondson, D. (2014) An Enduring Somatic Threat Model of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Due to Acute Life-Threatening Medical Events. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 8(3), 118–34. doi: 10.1111/spc3.12089.

Hall, M. F., & Hall, S. E. (2017). Managing the psychological impact of medical trauma: A guide for mental health and health care professionals. Springer Publishing Co.

Ogden, P., Minton, K., & Pain, C. (2006). Trauma and the body: A sensorimotor approach to psychotherapy. W. W. Norton & Company.

Shemesh, E. et al. (2005). Comparison of parent and child reports of emotional trauma symptoms in pediatric outpatient settings. Pediatrics, 115(5), e582-589. doi: 10.1542/peds.2004-2201.

van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.

Learning Objective 1

Define medical trauma

Learning Objective 2

Identify 3 symptoms of medical trauma

Learning Objective 3

Discuss 3 impacts of medical trauma on the family system

Keyword Descriptors

trauma, PTSD, medical illness, injury

Presentation Year

2023

Start Date

3-7-2023 10:15 AM

End Date

3-7-2023 11:30 AM

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Mar 7th, 10:15 AM Mar 7th, 11:30 AM

Social and Emotional Impacts of Medical Trauma on Students and Families

Session Five Breakouts (Vernon)

For many who have experienced a life-altering diagnosis, injury, or medical event, the mental toll is often hidden. While the body heals with the aid of treatment, the social and emotional wounds remain untouched. This presentation will discuss how to identify medical trauma symptoms and interventions that can increase social and emotional health in the wake of a medical trauma.