Science Races to Measure Trauma Inside the Body: A Look at the Risks/Benefits

At the end of 2025, I learned about a new blood test designed to detect inflammation patterns that may signal trauma exposure in children and adults, and I was immediately intrigued.

It began with reading about a blood panel designed to detect inflammation patterns associated with trauma, but I quickly discovered that the test is just one strand in a larger web.

As a childhood trauma specialist, my first thoughts leaned toward how this might harm children, and I’d like to unpack what I learned with you to see if we have similar thoughts.

Through my research on emerging technologies in this space, I learned that across medicine, psychology, and technology, there is intense interest in measuring the impact of trauma, stress, adversity, and relational instability on the developing nervous system.

None of these approaches can replace context, story, or relationship, but they do invite us to pay attention to where science is heading and how it might impact the children we care for.

Before I get into the details, I want to be clear that the content below is not medical advice or an endorsement for any of these technologies. What follows is an exploration of four emerging technologies shaping the conversation around childhood stress biology so that we are aware of what’s coming and the potential benefits and risks.

Four Upcoming Technologies that Could Impact the Field of Psychology and Child Welfare

1. Biological Stress and Inflammation Panels

These panels measure biological markers such as cortisol, DHEA, hair cortisol, and inflammatory cytokines to reflect physiological stress responses. Samples may come from saliva, blood, or hair.

How It Could Be Used

These tests could help track stress load, monitor changes over time, and offer objective data to support families who feel their concerns have been dismissed.

Benefits

• Non-invasive sample collection can increase accessibility
• May validate caregivers’ observations
• Could help identify chronic stress early
• Potential for guiding interventions when used alongside contextual assessment

Risks

• Biomarkers are influenced by many factors (sleep, illness, nutrition, socioeconomic stress)
• Risk of over-pathologizing normal stress adaptation
• Potential misuse in child welfare, custody, or school decisions
• False positives or negatives could influence life-changing decisions for children
• Interpretation requires specialized training and careful context

2. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Wearables

HRV measures the time variation between heartbeats and reflects autonomic nervous system flexibility. Many wearables now calculate HRV for consumers.

How It Could Be Used

HRV may help caregivers, adolescents, and practitioners track stress responses, nervous system shifts, and regulation patterns in real time.

Benefits

• Real-time physiological feedback
• May encourage self-awareness and early intervention
• Non-invasive and widely accessible
• Could support trauma-informed care planning

Risks

• Consumers often over-interpret fluctuations
• HRV is influenced by hydration, fitness, illness, and sleep
• Potential for increased anxiety or hypervigilance about bodily signals
• Limited evidence for its use as a standalone trauma indicator

3. Digital Phenotyping

Digital phenotyping uses passive data from smartphones, like movement, sleep patterns, location shifts, and communication rhythms, to identify patterns linked to stress or emotional states.

How It Could Be Used

Could offer early detection for concerning shifts in mood or functioning, reduce the burden of repeated assessments, and support youth who struggle to articulate internal changes.

Benefits

• Continuous, low-burden data collection
• May reveal patterns not visible in appointments
• Possible early warning signals for interventions

Risks

• Major privacy and consent concerns
• Risk of misinterpretation without clinical judgment
• Data ownership and storage issues
• Vulnerable youth could be monitored without a full understanding or agency

4. Voice and Speech Biomarkers

Algorithms analyze pitch, tone, pauses, and rhythm in speech to detect patterns associated with depression, anxiety, or emotional distress.

How It Could Be Used

Could offer low-barrier screening, support telehealth evaluations, and help monitor changes over time.

Benefits

• Minimal burden on children and families
• Early signs of distress detected through short recordings
• Potential complement to clinical assessment

Risks

• Cultural and linguistic differences can affect accuracy
• Data storage and misuse concerns
• Potential for false positives or overreliance on automated analysis
• Risks of reducing complex experiences to simple acoustic patterns

How Biological Panels Could Play Out in Child Welfare

**Note: These fictional examples illustrate the complex questions emerging technologies may raise; they are not recommendations for practice or child welfare decision-making.

To understand both the promise and the peril of these tools, it can help to imagine how biological stress panels might unfold in a real child welfare setting.

A Possible Positive Scenario

A six-year-old enters care after several months of escalating behavioral outbursts at school: hiding under desks, sudden rages, and frequent stomachaches. The foster parent senses something deeper than “defiance,” but feels unheard. A pediatrician orders a biological stress panel that shows elevated inflammatory markers and dysregulated cortisol patterns consistent with chronic stress exposure.

This does not diagnose trauma, but it opens doors. The results prompt the team to slow down, reassess the child’s environment, and consider a more trauma-responsive plan. The findings help the caregiver advocate for therapy tailored to stress biology, reduced school demands, and increased predictability at home.

The data becomes a bridgefor validating what adults closest to the child already feel in their bones. It shifts the conversation from “misbehavior” to “adaptation,” from blame to understanding.

Wow, this example is what my trauma therapist’s dreams are made of!

A Possible Negative Scenario

In a different case, a biological stress panel is ordered without clear consent, context, or explanation. The results come back showing elevated inflammation, and the numbers are interpreted quickly and rigidly as “evidence” of trauma exposure, even though the child recently had a viral illness and comes from a medically complex background.

Suddenly, the biomarkers are wielded as a form of “proof” in a custody dispute. The nuances are lost. The data overshadows the child’s story, the family’s strengths, and the complexity of their circumstances.

A single test result, which is never meant to stand alone, is used to justify drastic decisions. Instead of expanding understanding, the panel constricts it.

Yikes, this is every trauma therapist’s worst nightmare, and unfortunately, knowing our systems, this is a true potential outcome.

The Questions We Should Be Asking

• How do we ensure children remain more than data points?
• How do we ensure ethical use of these tools with trauma survivors?
• Who owns and interprets these metrics?
• How do we blend innovation with relational, contextual understanding?
• What protections are needed to prevent misuse in legal, educational, or child welfare settings?

As we watch these technologies unfold, I find myself feeling curiosity and caution. The promise is real, and so are the risks. Data can reveal patterns, but it can never   we learn from sitting with a child, listening to a parent, or observing the quiet ways a nervous system seeks safety.

My hope is that we continue engaging with these innovations thoughtfully and carefully so we can harness what helps, prevent what harms, and keep children’s dignity at the center of every conversation.

What do you think about these technologies being used as part of the assessment of children’s mental health? Let’s hear your response in the comments. This is a timely and needed discussion to protect children and families.

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What’s Happening at BTTC?

This season has been full in the best way. Over the past few weeks I’ve had the privilege of hosting two webinars, one with partners at the University of Alaska and another with the Los Angeles County Mental Health Department.

We spent time learning about ambiguous loss in children, behavior as a trauma response, and the ways systems can unintentionally force children to carry uncertainty alone. I tested my new ambiguous loss screening tool and received feedback that was extremely positive.

I’m always struck by how similar the themes are across geography. Different cultures, different policies, same human question underneath it all: how do we help a child feel held when life feels scary and unpredictable? The conversations with the people who attended were especially thoughtful, honest, and grounded in real practice. I left feeling hopeful about the people doing this work every day with children. They showed me how much they care about children’s well-being.

Next up!

I’ll be traveling to Austin, TX, to lead two workshops at the Omni Family Summit. In my first workshop, I’ll focus on practical ways professionals can create healing-centered supervised family time (aka visitation), and how trauma-informed approaches can increase the potential of reunification. My goal is to give people tools they can use right away to help families heal and stay together.

In my second workshop that day, I’ll be co-hosting with community trauma expert, Becky Haas! We will be sharing our tested neuroscience-based strategies for trauma-informed parenting. Our session is called: Responding, Not Reacting: Trauma-Wise Strategies for Supporting Children and Youth in Foster, Kinship, and Adoptive Homes.

And then…

At the end of March, I’ll be heading to Fargo, North Dakota, for a keynote where we’ll zoom out and look at the bigger picture, the long arc of relationships that help children heal. The title of my speech is Keeping Families Connected: A Healing-Centered Approach for Child Welfare Professionals. We’ll talk about why behavior often intensifies right when connection begins to work, and how adults can stay steady enough for healing to take root.

Impacting my home state

In April, I’ll present at the annual Pennsylvania CASA Conference on preventing and healing vicarious trauma in child advocacy work. This event is extra special to me because of my longstanding relationship as a consultant and trainer for PA CASA. I’m looking forward to meeting some new friends and seeing my trusted partners in April!

If you’ll be at any of these events, please come offer me a hug or a handshake. Meeting readers in real life is always my favorite part of this work!

Let’s Make an Impact Together in 2026 and Beyond

If your organization is looking for a keynote speaker or workshop facilitator for an upcoming conference or training day, you can reach me at beth@bethtyson.com, and we can set up a time to talk it through. You can also check out my rate sheet to learn more.

Not to sound sales-y, just transparent, my in-person calendar tends to fill quickly, so it helps to reach out early for fall and winter 2026. Virtual trainings are much more flexible since there’s no travel, and I can sometimes accommodate those on shorter notice.

Quote of the Month

“Water is the softest and most yielding substance.Yet nothing is better than water, for overcoming the hard and rigid, because nothing can compete with it. Everyone knows that the soft and yielding overcomes the rigid and hard, but few can put this knowledge into practice.”

“The living are soft and yielding; the dead are rigid and stiff. Living plants are flexible and tender; the dead are brittle and dry. Those who are stiff and rigid are the disciples of death. Those who are soft and yielding are the disciples of life.”

-Laozi, Tao Te Ching

In Closing…

When the world feels out of control remember that the most powerful thing you can do is raise kind, compassionate, and knowledgeable children. It’s the most we can do right now, and in order to do that, we need to be taking care of ourselves and healing our own trauma.

While this may seem impossible at times, it needs to be our #1 priority. That doesn’t mean we will do it perfectly. There is no perfect parent or caregiver on this planet, but we must try to do 1% better than yesterday. I love you all. I’m so grateful you’re here reading and learning with me. I’m with you in this pain. I’m feeling it all, and I’m mad as hell. Keep doing your part and I’ll keep doing mine. Until next time, keep growing, keep healing, keep learning.

With grief and hope,

Beth