References

Adverse childhood experiences: what we know, what we don't know, and what should happen next. 2020. https://tinyurl.com/2nftvdr6 (accessed 8 June 2022)

Trauma-informed care: understanding the use of trauma-informed approaches within children's social care. 2022. https://tinyurl.com/3z7sbczf (accessed 8 June 2022)

Children's Commissioner. Constructing a definition of vulnerability—attempts to define and measure. 2017. https://tinyurl.com/bdf37k4x (accessed 8 June 2022)

The cost of late intervention: EIF analysis. 2016. https://tinyurl.com/4mrfxn2z (accessed 8 June 2022)

Creating cultures of trauma informed care (CCTIC): a self-assessment and planning protocol. 2009. https://tinyurl.com/2p8y9e6y (accessed 8 July 2022)

Felitti VJ, Anda RF, Nordenberg D Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study. Am J Prev Med. 1998; 14:(4)245-58 https://doi.org/10.1016/s0749-3797(98)00017-8

Health Education England e-learning for Healthcare. All Our Health e-learning sessions. Vulnerabilities and trauma-informed practice. 2022. https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/all-our-health (accessed 9 June 2022)

Trauma informed practice a toolkit for Scotland. 2021. https://tinyurl.com/5chf7c3w (accessed 8 July 2022)

Office of the Public Guardian. Our safeguarding duty. 2022. https://tinyurl.com/mr3f53vk (accessed 8 July 2022)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. A treatment improvement protocol. Trauma-informed care in behavioral health services. TIP 57. 2012. https://tinyurl.com/3euhbawf (accessed 8 July 2022)

Public Health

Vulnerability and trauma-informed practice: what nurses need to know

23 June 2022
Public Health
02 June 2022
Volume 31 · Issue 12

The impacts of vulnerability and associated trauma endure from childhood into adulthood and affect an individual's health and wellbeing in ways that are not always visible to others (Felitti et al, 1998). Nurses and midwives must understand the research and literature behind these concepts if they are to help affected people enhance their health and wellbeing.

Although the recognition and understanding of trauma has been developing for more than 50 years, appreciation of the enduring impact it has from infancy to adulthood is a relatively recent concept. Originally considered in terms of the mental health problems experienced by soldiers on their return from war, trauma was formally recognised as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the 1970s. Since then our understanding of trauma has broadened to include many other types of traumatic experiences (Asmussen et al, 2022).

Trauma may be an event, a series of events, or a set of circumstances that a person experiences as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening. Usually unexpected, it overwhelms an individual's coping resources and causes them to feel frightened, vulnerable, and helpless. While specific to the individual, generally the experience of trauma in the absence of protective factors will cause lasting adverse effects, limiting the ability to function and achieve mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual health and wellbeing. Conversely, the presence of strong protective factors can change the outcomes considerably, making any impact temporary and allowing the individual to benefit from education, employment, and friendships (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 2012).

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting British Journal of Nursing and reading some of our peer-reviewed resources for nurses. To read more, please register today. You’ll enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included

  • Limited access to clinical or professional articles

  • Unlimited access to the latest news, blogs and video content

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address