Trauma and Sexual Abuse - Understanding the Difference between Single-Incident Trauma and Complex Trauma

Running head: TRAUMA AND SEXUAL ABUSE
TRAUMA AND SEXUAL ABUSE
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TRAUMA AND SEXUAL ABUSE1
The essay will focus on the concept of psychological trauma that is specifically
defined as the damage to an individual’s mind resulting in different distressing events.
Trauma is the complex condition that affects an individual due to excess stress and result in
situation where an individual loses their self-capability to cope up with the stress and the
emotions involved during such health condition (Cook et al., 2017). The condition of trauma
vary form an individual to individual and in few cases, it can even develop into post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Hence, this study will encompass the definition of single-
incident trauma associated with PTSD and also highlight the difference among the complex
trauma and single trauma incident related to sexual abuse (Putz, 2017).
Single incident trauma is defied as a traumatic event that takes place in an individual
due to a single incident. Single-incident trauma happens because of “one off” occasions and
is most commonly related with the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Few common
example of single-incident trauma includes an attack, rape, physical injury, bushfire and
mugging. According to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-V),
trauma is defined as an event that result due to direct subjective experience of an individual
associated with some serious accident or injury leading to extreme or complex traumatic
events (Psychiatry.org, 2019).
After experiencing any traumatic condition, it is very obvious that the client will feel
disconnected, sad or anxious and due to constant suffering related to bad memory or danger,
the client develops the condition of sot-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The events that
continuously haunt the client or increases the sense of hopelessness within the client, trigger
the condition of PTSD (Meng et al., 2016). The tolerance level and the nervous system of an
individual vary from one another and thus the effect of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
also vary. If the client had experienced a single-traumatic events, it is highly possible that
under different conditions the client may develop the condition of PTSD. If the client is

TRAUMA AND SEXUAL ABUSE2
receiving the flash back or intrusive memory of their past traumatic incident it is highly
possible that the individual will develop the condition of complex trauma. The client has lost
all their interest in any physical or mentally engaging activity and are continuously avoided
from the society, the chances of developing PTSD increases. Other condition that is
responsible for triggering the condition of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) followed
after single-incident trauma includes persistent sleeping problem, hyper-vigilance, self-
destructive, reckless behaviour, depression, feeling mistrust, hopelessness and betrayal
(Shalev, Liberzon & Marmar, 2017).
Complex trauma is defined as the condition of suffering from several or multiple
traumatic events. Complex trauma is similar to single incident trauma but in this case the
victim suffers multiple exposures as compared to single exposure in single incident trauma.
Since complex trauma involve multiple exposures, it is usually interpersonal in nature, which
means that the individual had suffered from various events that resulted in complex trauma
with the feel or being trapped in a stressful situation that is planned and extreme and have a
cumulative and persistent impact on the individual (Briere, Agee & Dietrich 2016). The best
example of complex trauma is sexual abuse or gang rape for a continued period of time.
The effects of child abuse is more persistent and has a severe impact on one’s
physical and mental being. Cumulative complex trauma is defined as the condition that arise
in an individual due to repetitive and prolonged experience of interpersonal traumatic
condition, where the individual has the minimal chance of escaping the situation. In case of
PTSD, DSM has modified and included a different group for the children that will focus on
the situation of child abuse and mental health (Yehuda et al., 2015). The child suffering from
sexual abuse has a devastating effect on their mind. If a child suffers from any sexual assault,
it effects the developmental cycle or procedure of the child growth am development and has a
negative effect on their mind. The child might suffer from different behavioural changes and