Child Life Exam Child Life Trauma-Informed Care 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary goal of trauma-informed care in pediatric healthcare settings?
- To eliminate all sources of pain and discomfort
- To recognize the impact of trauma and promote safety, trustworthiness, and empowerment (Correct answer)
- To avoid discussing difficult topics with patients and families
- To provide pharmacological interventions for anxiety management
Correct answer: To recognize the impact of trauma and promote safety, trustworthiness, and empowerment
Trauma-informed care aims to recognize the widespread impact of trauma and integrate that knowledge into practice by promoting safety, trustworthiness, and patient empowerment.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the significance of the ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study for child life practice?
- It demonstrates that childhood illnesses are the primary cause of adult disease
- It shows a dose-response relationship between childhood adversity and negative health outcomes across the lifespan (Correct answer)
- It proves that genetic factors outweigh environmental influences on child health
- It establishes diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder in children
Correct answer: It shows a dose-response relationship between childhood adversity and negative health outcomes across the lifespan
The ACEs study revealed that the more adverse childhood experiences a person has, the greater their risk for negative health, behavioral, and social outcomes—a dose-response relationship.
Question 3: A child who experienced a traumatic previous hospitalization is scheduled for surgery. Which child life approach best reflects trauma-informed care?
- Avoid discussing the previous hospitalization to prevent distress
- Require the child to complete the procedure without parental presence to build independence
- Assess the child's prior experience, validate feelings, and collaboratively develop a coping plan with input from the child and family (Correct answer)
- Administer pre-procedure sedation immediately to reduce anxiety
Correct answer: Assess the child's prior experience, validate feelings, and collaboratively develop a coping plan with input from the child and family
Trauma-informed care involves assessing prior experiences, validating the child's feelings, and collaborating with the child and family to restore a sense of control and predictability.
Question 4: The SAMHSA framework for trauma-informed care includes the '4 Rs.' Which of the following correctly identifies all four?
- Recognize, Respond, Refer, Record
- Realize, Recognize, Respond, Resist re-traumatization (Correct answer)
- Reflect, Relate, Respond, Recover
- Realize, Reduce, Respond, Restore
Correct answer: Realize, Recognize, Respond, Resist re-traumatization
SAMHSA's 4 Rs are: Realize the widespread impact of trauma, Recognize signs of trauma, Respond by integrating trauma knowledge, and Resist re-traumatization.
Question 5: When a hospitalized child exhibits hypervigilance and an exaggerated startle response, the child life specialist should recognize these as potential indicators of:
- Normal developmental regression due to hospitalization
- Oppositional defiant disorder requiring behavioral intervention
- A trauma response that may indicate prior adverse experiences affecting the child's nervous system (Correct answer)
- Medication side effects requiring immediate nurse notification
Correct answer: A trauma response that may indicate prior adverse experiences affecting the child's nervous system
Hypervigilance and exaggerated startle response are hallmark signs of a sensitized nervous system due to trauma exposure, not simply behavioral or pharmacological issues.
Question 6: Which of the following environmental modifications best supports a trauma-informed approach in the hospital setting?
- Keeping room lighting bright at all times to monitor patient safety
- Minimizing unnecessary loud noises, offering predictable routines, and providing choices about the physical environment (Correct answer)
- Restricting parental visitation to reduce patient stimulation
- Removing all personal items from the room to prevent infection
Correct answer: Minimizing unnecessary loud noises, offering predictable routines, and providing choices about the physical environment
Trauma-informed environments minimize sensory overload, offer predictability, and restore patient agency through choices—all of which reduce activation of trauma responses.
Question 7: A core principle of trauma-informed care that differentiates it from traditional approaches is the shift in perspective from:
- 'What is wrong with you?' to 'What happened to you?' (Correct answer)
- 'How can we fix this?' to 'How can we prevent this?'
- 'What do you need?' to 'What do we recommend?'
- 'What are your symptoms?' to 'What is your diagnosis?'
Correct answer: 'What is wrong with you?' to 'What happened to you?'
Trauma-informed care reframes the clinical lens from pathologizing the child's behavior to understanding it as a response to adversity—asking 'What happened to you?' rather than 'What is wrong with you?'
Child Life Exam Child Life Trauma-Informed Care 1
What is the primary goal of trauma-informed care in pediatric healthcare settings?