A Case Study Paper on the Prevalence and Impact of Childhood Trauma with Violence

Abstract

Maria Johnson is a 40-year-old, Biracial African American and Caucasian social worker who was referred by her primary care provider (PCP) with a complaint of heightened anxiety as well as persistent nightmares. As her ability to function at work and maintain friendships has decreased. Ms. Johnson lived with her husband of 20 years up until 8 months ago, at which time he abruptly ended their relationship to immediately entered a new relationship a couple of months later. They have a 20-year-old daughter together who is currently living independently as a college student, who Ms. Johnson believes has been greatly affected by their separation. She states that the feeling of her daughter losing a two-parent household has caused her an alarming amount of stress, fear, and anxiety. She has been feeling unusually fatigued, accompanied by difficulty focusing. She has repeatedly sought out reassurance from her mother and sister, but found that she could not be consoled by them as she worried about being “too much of a burden.” A few months prior to this session, Ms. Johnson began to avoid leaving the house. She had a fear that she would get kidnapped. Initially, she refused to go to the grocery store because the area she recently moved to had three recent kidnappings of a child and 2 women. She then began to get her groceries delivered, but refused to have contact with the delivery person. That soon progressed to her only working from home and not going in the field to see clients, which led to a demotion. Ms. Johnson added, “This is getting out of control, I honestly feel like something bad is going to happen to me”. She then added, “The only time my mind is at ease is when I am at home or with my daughter.” Ms. Johnson has a history of childhood trauma, including domestic violence and parental substance abuse. As a teenager, she experienced domestic violence and parental substance abuse, which added to her trauma history. Over the years, she has managed to suppress those early childhood memories for years, but began experiencing symptoms after she moved into her new home post-separation, triggering memories of her past experiences. Ms. Johnson goes on to express how she always struggled with her biracial identity, as she was often caught between two different cultures. This led to her not feeling accepted by either culture. Her experiences of cultural expectations and racism have contributed to her feelings of isolation and trauma. At her initial session, Ms. Johnson said she was “extremely anxious and got easily startled”, which started after her husband left. She reported feeling worthless, guilty, hopeless, and having constant thoughts about death. She lost 15 pounds and was fatigued from poor sleep patterns.