DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES
Our bodies and brains automatically respond to
dangerous situations without understanding or
conscious awareness. For example, in a newborn
any sudden change of sensation is sufficient to pro-
voke a startle response. As young children grow
older, what they learn about danger and safety
lays the foundations for how they will understand
and cope with stress in later life. The relationship
between the child and its primary caregiver pro-
vides a particularly crucial learning environment. If
this environment does not provide protection but
instead exposes the child to repeated danger (e.g.
domestic violence or abuse), there are likely to be
long-term effects both on the child’s assumptions
about the world and on their mental health [8,9].
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