Question for our psychologists, etc here, hope I can word my thoughts clearly:
What kind of immediate specific psychological responses would Jayme be experiencing had she witnessed her parents murders and/ or seen them dying/dead. I’m asking this in regards to immediate effects of PTSD on a child and what her specific current mental state might be after such shock and trauma (would there be detachment, etc...). Sorry having a hard time explaining my question, I hope you get the gist. I’m basically asking what we could expect from Jayme mentally right now while possibly being in captivity after witnessing the death of her parents. Of course fear etc but some specifically how does a child react to such trauma? I’m sure it’s different in every situation?
And how might these traumatic effects affect her ability to stay strong and sharp under captivity?
At her age, that is, almost grown as far as mental abilities go, her reaction, in the absence of any underlying issue we don't know about, would be about the same as any of us who have never lost a parent to a violent death having it play out in front of us.
Shock, horror, intense fear, denial, possibly the spontaneous somatic reactions of vomiting, syncope ( fainting) and crying.
I think you are asking about the likelihood of her being in a fugue state. This is commonly known as dissociation from a traumatic event.
She could, of course, but it's extremely rare for a person to use the innate defense mechanism of dissociation.
Usually, we see this when the person themselves are dying. It's believed to be tied to neurological changes during the process of being mortally wounded and " watching from a distance".
Because there was at least one intruder in her house and the bodies of her parents, the father being just inside the front door, I'd say utter terror would be the level of fear present and it may never have gone away one tiny bit.
No, she didn't have PTSD at that time nor now, with the hope that she's still alive. PTSD is, by definition, the lingering after effects of emotionally altering or life changing trauma. It does not develop at the time of the trauma, but is diagnosed using specific criteria after a period of time, as we all need time to process shock, horror, grief, fear.
Interesting and thoughtful question. Thanks for asking.