A Trauma-Informed Approach to Child Victimization: Global and Rural Considerations

Child victimization, including child maltreatment, is a global public health concern with serious and potentially life-long consequences (Djeddah et al., 2000; World Health Organization, 2020). Global estimates suggest that upwards of one billion youth under 18 years of age are victims of child maltreatment each year (Hills et al., 2016). The consequences that stem from exposure to child maltreatment range from noncommunicable diseases to violence perpetration (Nelson et al., 2020). These findings, in conjunction with the lasting impact trauma has on the brain and body (Siegel, 2001; Thomason & Marusak, 2017) and the potential influence trauma has on the health of societies (Magruder et al., 2017), highlight the need to create trauma-informed systems. While implementation of a trauma-informed approach may look different across contexts, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has developed four key assumptions to guide trauma-informed work, often referred to as the “Four Rs” (i.e., Realize, Recognize, Respond, and Resist Re-Traumatization). The Four Rs operate under six fundamental principles: (1) safety, (2) trustworthiness and transparency, (3) peer support, (4) collaboration and mutuality, (5) empowerment, voice, and choice, and (6) cultural, historical, and gender issues. This paper aims to provide practical applications of SAMHSA’s trauma-informed approach across all societal levels (i.e., individual, system, and community levels), focusing on cultural and rurality considerations.