The Most Prevalent Type of Trauma

The Most Prevalent Type of Trauma

At some point, almost every individual experiences a traumatic event. Trauma can occur due to experiencing life-threatening events or even witnessing others experience such events. The American Psychological Association (n.d.) defines trauma as an individual’s emotional response to horrible events or circumstances such as rape, a car accident, or even natural disasters. Subsequently, short-term reactions to traumatic events include shock and denial, while flashbacks, unpredictable emotions, and symptoms like headaches are some of the characteristics of long-term reactions. Notably, there are three major trauma types: type I, II, and III. Type I trauma usually occurs due to exposure to a single dreadful event (Solomon & Heide, 2016). Type II trauma results from experiencing extreme external events repeatedly (Solomon & Heide, 2016). Lastly, type III results from exposure to several and repeated violent events at a young age that continue for years. The most prevalent type of trauma among the three types is type I.

As already mentioned, type I trauma results from a single terrible incident. Such events include sexual assault, witnessing a murder, or being in an accident. It is worth noting that physical injuries, for instance, after being in an accident or being assaulted, result in trauma. In this regard, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US) (2014) reports that physical injuries are the most prevalent trauma, implying that type I trauma is the most common type. Besides, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US) (2014) adds that millions of annual emergency room visits are directly related to physical injuries. While “trauma” in the emergency room context does not necessarily mean psychological trauma, it is worth noting that these physical injuries are associated with psychological trauma. After all, they may lead to sudden, unpredicted, and fatal health-related events that can subsequently result in significant psychological traumatic experiences for patients and patients’ families (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US), (2014).

References

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Trauma. American Psychological Association. Retrieved February 1, 2023, from https://www.apa.org/topics/trauma/

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (US). (2014). Chapter 2 Trauma Awareness. Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services, (57). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207203/.

Solomon, E. P., & Heide, K. M. (2016). Type III trauma: Toward a more effective conceptualization of psychological trauma. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 43(2). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0306624X99432007?journalCode=ijoe.

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The Most Prevalent Type of Trauma

What is the most prevalent type of trauma? Explain your answer and use a reference to support your opinion.