Causes of Trauma

These alarming statistics related to the US confirm the sentiments of the previous quote. Consider the following (Davediuk Gingrich and Gingrich 2017) :

• Trauma is the number one cause of death for people 1– 46 years old, and the number three cause of death in the US overall. Each year, more than 192,000 people lose their lives to trauma.
• Each year, trauma accounts for 41 million emergency room visits and 2.3 million hospital admissions. 
• The economic burden of trauma is more than $671 billion annually. 

What then is trauma and what causes it?

Defining trauma

Trauma can be defined as follows (Davediuk Gingrich and Gingrich 2017):

This definition highlights that trauma has both external and internal manifestations. In other words, an external traumatic event or cause can occur (e.g. a violent assault) and then internal effects result (e.g. feelings of intense fear, anxiety, anger). Notably, the words “shared responses to such experiences” show that trauma also affects more than just individuals directly involved in the traumatic event. Families and communities are always affected by the individuals who witness or experience traumatic events (e.g. increasingly anxious individuals withdraw from marriages, families and workplaces).

However, a traumatic event does not have to manifest physically first in order to cause trauma Any upsetting event, disappointment, physical or relational loss, negative circumstance, or even the perception of any of these things may cause a person to begin to function outside the norms of healthy emotional and psychological responses. 

How trauma can manifest

The following scenario (based on the article, “The Lasting Trauma of China’s Wenchuan Earthquake Survivors” by Yuan Ye) (Burdick 2023) shows how trauma can manifest, and highlights some of the consequences of trauma which we will examine later in this lesson.

A spiritual perspective on trauma

The previous scenario illustrates the devastating impact trauma can have on individuals, families and society should it be unaddressed. It highlights our human need for God’s healing from pain and suffering experienced in all forms during our lifetimes. Seeing trauma from a redemptive perspective may be helpful.

The definition of trauma explained earlier in this lesson is further extended by its authors as follows (Davediuk Gingrich and Gingrich 2017):

This extended definition emphasizes the dire need for Christians to process, address and manage trauma (and help others to do the same) using biblical principles, based on the love and power of Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection. We will examine these principles throughout this course.