Part 2 Lucy’s Story
2.2 Lucy case study 1: Trauma
Nicole Graham
Introduction to case study
Lucy has experienced multiple traumas throughout her life, starting in infancy and extending into her adult life. If you compare her experiences against the Adverse Childhood Experiences study (ACES), Lucy scores incredibly highly across all three types of ACES: abuse, neglect and household dysfunction (Felitti et al., 1998). Lucy has experienced family domestic violence, sexual abuse and intimate partner violence. She is a survivor of a miscarriage during her teenage years and was separated from her biological sibling at an early age.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this case study, you should be able to:
- Identify the traumatic experiences Lucy has experienced.
- Classify the experiences according to abuse, neglect and/or household dysfunction.
- Identify what impact these experiences could have on Lucy’s physical and mental wellbeing.
Scenario
Despite Lucy feeling loved by her mother, she recalls the moment she was told that her father did not want a second child, particularly not a daughter. Although she remembers affection from her father, she describes it as ‘distant’. At the time when Lucy lived with parents, her father was dependant on alcohol and socialised with many members of the community. He was well respected amongst his peers, who described him as a ‘character’ and a ‘good bloke.’ He managed the local hotel and spent much of his time drinking with his regular customers. He would often drive home drunk, smelling of stale beer. His character often altered in the privacy of his own home. Although Lucy’s father was disengaged from her and her mother, he appeared to have a strong relationship with Lucy’s brother.
Lucy recalls the arguments and yelling that were ever present in the family home. She would seek comfort and safety in the company of her brother during these times. Hearing threats of violence towards her mother was very stressful for her. Even though Lucy was young at the time, recalling memories from 5 to 7 years of age, she remembers being afraid of her father. She also remembers herself as a quiet child, interested in listening to the conversations of adults. Some of the conversations she remembers were when friends would advise her mother to leave her father, as he was often physically violent to the women with whom he was having extramarital affairs.
Lucy was aware of her father’s ‘special friends,’ some of whom were kind and caring towards her. She recalls sitting in their kitchens or playing on their swings while he privately spoke with them. This occurred often, usually after he had collected Lucy from school when her mother was working. Even at an early age (between 5 and 7), Lucy knew that something was not right. She had promised her father never to tell her mother about these meetings because he had threatened to discipline her if she did. As an adult, Lucy now understands her father was having extramarital affairs with m