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Impact of Trauma on Adolescent Development & Behaviors

Many adolescents who seek services and support have experienced chronic or complex trauma and, as a result, exhibit challenging and disruptive behaviors. Child- and family-serving professionals play an important role in working alongside families to address the impacts of trauma on adolescent development and behaviors.

This blog post serves as a companion resource to CalTrin’s Trauma, Parenting, and Challenging Behaviors (Adolescent) self-paced course. The course was adapted from the CalTrin-hosted webinar of the same name that Melissa Bernstein, PhD, presented on December 9, 2021.

CalTrin’s Trauma, Parenting, and Challenging Behaviors (Adolescent) training, facilitated by Dr. Melissa Bernstein, provides foundational information on the impact of trauma on adolescent development and behaviors and how it contrasts with normative development. Many adolescents who seek services and support have experienced chronic or complex trauma and, as a result, exhibit challenging and disruptive behaviors. It’s important for child- and family-serving professionals to understand the impacts of these traumas, where these behaviors stem from, and how to work alongside families to address them. 

Each traumatic event that adolescents experience creates a cumulative effect, where children are reminded of their previous trauma, and the negative impacts are consequently reinforced.

Dr. Bernstein notes that adolescence is already an extremely challenging developmental stage for most. When you add a layer of trauma and traumatic stress to this process, serious and disruptive beliefs and behaviors that contrast normative adolescent development are often the result. During trauma, the brain and body have adapted to help youth cope, so these serious and disruptive behaviors should be viewed as adaptations of safety and survival skills rather than signs of damage.

A major part of working with adolescents is working with their caregivers. If this collaboration does not exist, the likelihood of making a change can be low. There are key steps that we can take when working with caregivers and important questions that we can reflect on to improve how we interact with them. In this training, Dr. Bernstein outlines five steps for collaborating with caregivers, which include:

  • Create space for caregivers to share their thoughts
  • Align with the caregiver 
  • Ask yourself: Am I communicating a message of hope?
  • Provide psychoeducation
  • Provide resources 

Dr. Bernstein also reviews three strategies that can help address challenging behaviors: emotional (relational), cognitive, and behavioral. We want to make as many strategies available as possible and work with and listen to families to find the best combination of strategies for their unique situations. 

The resources highlighted below are intended to be used with CalTrin’s self-paced course to help further your knowledge and emphasize the important role child- and family-serving professionals play in working alongside families to address the impacts of trauma on adolescent development and behaviors.

Trauma, Parenting, & Challenging Behaviors (Adolescent) Resources

California Training Institute (CalTrin)

Hey, that’s us! Access recordings and materials from prior CalTrin trainings related to this topic, browse our self-paced courses, keep an eye on the calendar for upcoming webinars and workshops, and explore our relevant resource collections:  

Note: You will need to log in to your CalTrin account to access the self-paced courses and select archived training materials. You can create a free account here.

Advancing California’s Trauma-Informed Systems (ACTS)

Advancing California’s Trauma-Informed Systems (ACTS) is a collaboration between the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Office of Child Abuse and Prevention (OCAP) and the Chadwick Center at Rady Children’s Hospital–San Diego. ACTS supports child-serving systems in finding their unique path to advance innovative, trauma-informed change that will support the workforce and lead to improved outcomes for children and families. ACTS has compiled a comprehensive list of evidence-based and trauma-informed resources geared towards child- and family-serving and mental health professionals at all levels. To review a collection of resources focused on supporting caregivers of children and youth who have experienced trauma, click here.

ACTS also developed a series of learning videos to support child-serving systems in advancing trauma-informed practices. Each series consists of 3-5 microlearning videos with a discussion guide to facilitate continued conversation and learning:

National Center on the Sexual Behavior of Youth (NCSBY)

The National Center on the Sexual Behavior of Youth (NCSBY) promotes better lives through better choices by youth, caregivers, and professionals for healthier responses to and prevention of problematic sexual behavior of youth. Get started with resources geared towards the target audiences:

Discover more on the NCSBY’s Resources & Education page.

National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) was created by Congress in 2000 to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for children and families who experience or witness traumatic events. This unique network of frontline providers, family members, researchers, and national partners is committed to changing the course of children’s lives by improving their care and moving scientific gains quickly into practice across the U.S. View the NCTSN’s extensive collection of child trauma resources (información en español), including:

Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center on Child Abuse and Neglect

The Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (CCAN) serves to organize the Health Sciences Center’s efforts in the treatment and prevention of child abuse and neglect. CCAN directs research, program administration, clinical services, professional education, program development, and public education in the field of child maltreatment.

CCAN’s Child Trauma Services program created the following resources:

Additional Resources

Dr. Bruce Perry/MLA Counseling Services: Understanding Dysregulation: How to Support a Highly Emotional Child (Infographic)

Stress and Development Lab, University of Washington: How Can Trauma Affect the Brain?

UK Trauma Council: Childhood Trauma and the Brain (5:10)

Resources for Youth

Recommended Readings

Dr. Bernstein recommended the following books and articles during the Trauma, Parenting, and Challenging Behaviors (Adolescent) webinar and in the self-paced course:

*Last updated October 14, 2024

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