Developmental Trauma: Theory, Research and Practice

Developmental Trauma offers a comprehensive introduction to the research findings that help us understand the effects on human development of early childhood trauma and adaptation to stress. It explains how DTD differs from PTSD and emerges from a toxic seed planted at the beginning of an individual’s lifespan development. This important volume examines relational traumas and adverse childhood experiences, such as exposure to family and community violence, polyvictimization (multiple repeated childhood traumas), and disruptions to parent-child bonds, which lay the foundation for future relationships. The volume considers how DTD affects self-regulation capacities, identity development, self-esteem, and faith in oneself and others and increases the likelihood of comorbidities including ADHD and autism spectrum disorders. Individuals with indications of developmental trauma face lifelong challenges in their ability to develop and maintain trusting relationships, to build and utilize healthy coping strategies, and to adjust to school and, eventually, the workplace. Uniquely, Daniel Cruz goes beyond individual levels of analysis that focus almost exclusively on patients and explores toxic stress embedded in social systems and institutional policies and procedures that cause individuals to suffer, experience psychiatric and medical problems, and that lead to social and economic adversities such as poverty, homelessness, and involvement in criminal activity. Key topics explored include institutional betrayal, such as sexual assaults and workplace bullying, and judicial betrayal when failures from the legal system do not adequately protect victims of trauma, for example in cases of domestic violence.

Developmental Trauma is for students of child and adolescent psychology, developmental psychology, clinical psychology, primary care and health psychology, education, social work, and urban studies. It is relevant for graduate students in applied fields such as clinical and counseling psychology, and those working with diverse children as well as public health and policy.

Daniel Cruz is a psychologist, researcher, educator, and consultant and has provided psychotherapy and psychological evaluations to children and families in diverse settings. He served as a behavioral scientist in the family medicine training program at Mountainside Medical Center in Verona, New Jersey. Daniel has worked with individuals facing considerable adversity, including addiction, violence, human trafficking, discrimination, and suicide, who often distrust the social systems and institutions designed to protect them, such as child welfare and law enforcement agencies. He is past president of the Latino Mental Health Association of New Jersey.