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HELPING CHILDREN COPE WITH DISASTER AND TRAUMASee MHANYS Fact Sheet "Coping With Disaster and Trauma" for adults. When a disaster strikes, or when a traumatic event occurs, it makes as significant an impact on children as on adults. Children may react to traumatic events differently than adults, but they too must readjust in the wake of changes wrought by a traumatic event. Depending on the nature of the traumatic event and severity of the impact it has had on them, many children will be able to draw on their natural resiliency and will be able to successfully work through their reactions and move forward over time, particularly if they are able to turn to the adults in their lives for guidance and reassurance. Wondering what the future holds, some children may find it more difficult to cope with troubling events, particularly those whose lives have been more directly affected, or those who have already experienced trauma and find these events evoking the prior trauma. Responding
to children's concerns: Reassure them. Offer them plenty of your time and physical closeness in the form of hugs and other comforting gestures. Explain to them what measures are in place, or what steps are being taken, to ensure they are safe. Listen to them talk about their fears and let them know you take them seriously. Dispel misconceptions respectfully, and don't minimize their concerns even if they seem unrealistic. For example, don't dismiss the fears of a child who has seen TV footage of a volcanic explosion by saying, "That's stupid, there are no volcanoes for hundreds of miles around here." Instead, explain that there are no volcanoes in your area and the chances of a volcanic explosion are very remote. If you do live in a volcanically active area you may want to tell the child about early-warning systems and other procedures in place to ensure his/her safety. Offer to help the child educate himself/herself on the topic by going to the library, for instance, and finding age-appropriate, accurate information on the subject. If you live in an area prone to natural disasters such as tornados, you may want to review safety drills with children in a non-threatening way before a crisis, to show them what they can do and get them accustomed to the idea. Following such cases as a terrorist attack or a school shooting, it may help to explain just how rare these events really are. Let children discuss their concerns with you. Allay their fears as best you can, while at the same time letting them know you take their concerns seriously. Respond to children's questions with straightforward answers that are appropriate for their age. Make sure they get the information that they want and need, but don't let them get overloaded or give them details that they can't fully understand. Not talking about the situation, or refusing to talk about the situation, will not make children's concerns go away. Rather, it may make them feel that they cannot come to you with questions. Children look to the adults in their lives to get an idea of how to react. If adults are reacting with fear, anxiety, depression, anger, children may take those reactions on as well. Remaining calm yourself, and sticking to customary routines as much as possible will help children remain calm themselves. During the time following a traumatic event it is especially important to be sensitive to children's needs. Be available for them to talk to you. They may want a lot of physical contact and hugs, or simply to be with you. They may become clingy or may behave in other ways that you thought they had outgrown. Be patient and set aside extra time to spend with them. Make sure, as much as possible, that children have access to things and routines that they are used to, as children often find familiar things comforting. Control time that children spend watching news coverage of intense or frightening scenes of disaster, and talk with them during or afterwards to help them understand what they are seeing. For young children you may want to consider not letting them watch such images at all. Children who have already experienced trauma in their lives may be especially sensitive to such footage. Some children find it difficult to express their feelings verbally. Encourage them to draw or play, and use their drawings or the games as a starting point for discussions. If, for example, a child draws a picture of a house on fire, or a child pretends to be a fireman, talk with him or her about what the drawing shows and how it makes him or her feel. Offer your support without increasing their fears. When talking with children always try to understand their concerns on their own terms. Don't make assumptions based on what you think they ought to be feeling. Children may be very eager to do something to help. Encourage them and help them find appropriate activities. If something traumatic has happened to someone close to them, they might want to write a letter or card, draw a picture, or make something to give as a present. In the case of a natural or man-made disaster activities might include selecting food to donate to a food drive, or clothes for a clothing drive, or contributing money to relief agencies such as the Red Cross or the Salvation Army. They may want to write a letter of support to community leaders or relief workers, or letters of condolence to victims of disaster. They may also wish to seek out other activities in support of relief efforts that may be going on in local schools or youth groups. The
mental health impact of trauma on children: Children may react to intense feelings of sadness, helplessness, or fear by entering a depressed state. Symptoms of depression in children vary depending on age and may include: Infants
and toddlers Preschoolers
School-Aged
Children Adolescents
Symptoms of serious anxiety in children and adolescents may include: Constantly
worrying about the future - particularly about their own safety
or the safety of loved ones Stress places a physical toll on the body as well. Stress may manifest itself in psychosomatic illnesses such as otherwise unexplainable stomachaches, headaches, or other aches and pains. The physical symptoms of panic attack can be extremely frightening for children, as well as adults. Physical symptoms may include shortness of breath or feelings of choking, dizziness, trembling or nausea. When severe symptoms of anxiety persist for longer than several weeks, and anxiety continues to impair a child's ability to function, it is important to seek professional evaluation for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In some cases PTSD may emerge months after the event. These changes in behavior do not have to be permanent responses to trauma. Even short-term counseling following a traumatic event can have a beneficial impact. Consulting a mental health professional and/or participating in peer discussion groups with other kids can be very effective in helping a child deal with emotionally painful aftereffects of tragedy. Helping
children cope with bereavement or loss: Children do grieve in different ways than adults. They may want to run around and play while the adults around them are mourning the loss of the loved one. Accept that children need to come to terms with loss at their own pace, and that they have ways of managing stress and sadness that are different from those of adults. They may have difficult questions and look to adults to give them clear, straightforward, truthful answers presented in a compassionate way. Younger children may be confused or frightened by what is going on around them, and may not have reached a developmental stage where they can fully understand what has happened. As they confront loss, children may need lots of attention, affection and reassurance, particularly reassurances that they will be safe and that they will be taken care of. Younger children often believe they have the ability to influence events by wishing. In a situation where a child might have had a fight or disagreement with someone who was later injured or killed in a disaster, the child may feel terrible guilt, as if he or she had somehow 'caused' the tragedy. For example a child might have lost a fight with his older sibling about what TV show to watch and wished in passing that something bad would happen to the sibling in retaliation for being so mean. If the sibling was later hurt or killed the child might feel responsible. If you suspect a child may be carrying inappropriate feelings of guilt or responsibility for a tragedy, make it very clear that the full responsibility for a natural disaster lies with natural conditions, or with the human perpetrators in the event of a crime or terrorist act. Other Resources Following trauma or disaster your local Mental Health Association, county mental health agency, or mental health helplines can refer you to mental health resources in your area. Look in the yellow pages of the phone book under 'Mental Health Services'. Disaster relief agencies, such as your local Red Cross and Salvation Army can also provide, or direct people to, mental health services and counseling. A
directory of County Mental Health Agencies is available on the
Internet at The American Psychological Association operates a referral line at 1-800-964-2000 which connects callers with the state psychological association referral network in their area. In New York State the number is (518) 437-1050. Further information on anxiety and stress disorders are available through a number of organizations, including: National
Mental Health Association at http://www.nmha.org,
1-800-969-NMHA (1-800-969-6642) The following online resources were consulted in putting together this factsheet: "Helping Children Handle Disaster-Related Anxiety" - LifeNet, part of MHA of NYC "Helping Children Cope After a Terrorist Attack" - National Alliance for the Mentally Ill "Managing Traumatic Stress: Tips for Recovering From Disasters and Other Traumatic Events" - American Psychological Association "Empowering Children During a Crisis" - Anita Laffey "FAQ: Stress Response to Traumatic Events" - PsychWorks, Inc. See other Information Center Fact Sheets.
The Mental Health Association in New York State, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, with 33 local affiliate MHAs serving 54 counties. MHANYS is working to ensure available and accessible mental health services for all New Yorkers. |
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