|
Natural
disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, or floods can leave children
feeling frightened, confused and insecure.
Whether a child has personally experienced trauma, known of
someone who has, or merely seen the event on television and heard it
discussed by adults, it is important for parents and teachers to be
informed and ready to help if reactions to stress begin to occur.
Children respond to trauma in many different ways.
Some may have reactions very soon after the event; others may
seem to be doing fine for weeks or months, and then begin to show
worrisome behavior. Knowing
the signs that are common for different ages can help parents and
teachers to recognize problems and respond appropriately.
PRESCHOOL
AGE
Children
from one to five years in age find it particularly hard to adjust to
change and loss. In
addition, these youngsters have not yet developed their own coping
skills, so they must depend on parents, family members, and teachers to
help them through difficult times.
Very young children may regress to an earlier behavioral stage
after a traumatic event. For
example, a preschooler may resume thumb sucking or bedwetting or may
become afraid of strangers, animals, darkness, or “monsters”.
He or she may cling to a parent or teacher or become very
attached to a place where he or she feels safe.
Changes in eating and sleeping habits are common, as are
unexplainable aches and pains. Other
symptoms to watch for are disobedience, hyperactivity, speech
difficulties, and aggressive or withdrawn behavior.
Preschoolers may tell exaggerated stories about the traumatic
event or may speak of it over and over.
EARLY
CHILDHOOD
Children
aged five to eleven may have some of the same reactions as younger boys
and girls. In addition,
they may withdraw from play groups and friends, compete more for the
attention of parents, fear going to school, allow school performance to
drop, become aggressive, or find it hard to concentrate.
These children may also return to “more childish” behaviors;
for example, they may ask to be fed or dressed.
ADOLESENCE
Children
twelve to fourteen are likely to have vague physical complaints when
under stress and to abandon chores, school work, and other
responsibilities they previously handled.
While on one hand they may compete vigorously for attention from
parents and teachers, they may also withdraw, resist authority, or
become disruptive at home or in the classroom.
They may even begin to experiment with high-risk behavior such
as drinking or drug use. These
young people are at a developmental stage in which the opinion of peers
is very important. They
need to be thought of as “normal” by their friends and are less
concerned about relating well with adults or participating in
recreation or family activities they once enjoyed.
In
later adolescence, teens may experience feelings of helplessness and
guilt because they are unable to assume full adult responsibilities as
the community responds to the disaster.
Older teens may also deny the extent of their emotional
reactions to the traumatic event.
HOW
TO HELP
Reassurance
is the key to helping children through a traumatic time.
Very young children need a lot of cuddling, as well as verbal
support. Answer questions
about the disaster honestly, but don’t dwell on frightening details
or allow the subject to dominate family or classroom time indefinitely.
Encourage children of all ages to express emotions through
conversation, drawing, or painting and to find a way to help others who
were affected by the disaster.
Try
to maintain a normal household or classroom routine and encourage
children to participate in recreational activity.
Reduce your expectations temporarily about performance at school
or at home, perhaps by substituting less demanding responsibilities for
usual chores. Finally,
acknowledge that you, too, may have reactions associated with the
traumatic event and take steps to promote your own physical and
emotional healing.
HELPING
YOUNG CHILDREN WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED TRAUMA
Provide reassurance that the child is safe and you will protect him or
her.
Explore the child’s
perceptions of the event. Correct
misinterpretations and answer questions.
Be
honest and give accurate information, but don’t give more information
than the child wants.
Give
information he or she can understand, in the child’s language.
Be
more tolerant of unusual behavior.
Spend
extra time with the child.
Help
the child to identify, label, and express feelings.
Let
the child know these feelings are normal and that you will help with
them.
Be
honest about feelings by describing your own, at a level and in
language comfortable for the child.
Watch
for, and correct, self-blame by the child.
Make sure the child understands that what happened was not his
or her fault.
Allow
the child time to mourn or grieve over the loss.
Posted October 2003
|
.GIF)