Home
Biography
Media Room
CDs / Products
Presentations
Private Practice
Contact / Email
Articles
Links
Blog
Kids talk about
Imagery For Kids
|
|
Articles
How To Help Our Children During Crisis
by
Charlotte Reznick, Ph.D.
The emotional effects of a crisis or disaster, such as earthquakes, riots, and terrorist activities, on children can be tremendous. One of the difficulties experienced by parents is that they have not had adequate time to deal with their own reactions when they are called upon to deal with the impact of the disaster or crisis on their child.
Emotional reactions vary in nature and severity from child to child. Children’s reactions to a disaster are determined by their age, previous experiences, temperament and personality, and the immediacy of the disaster to their own lives. Nonetheless, some commonalties exist in how children feel when their lives are disrupted by a disaster. General reactions include feelings of loss of control and stability, self-centered concerns, and grief reactions (denial, anger, depression, bargaining, and acceptance).
Childrens's Reactions:
Following a crisis, some children may:
- Become more active and restless, or have difficulty concentrating.
- Worry where they will live and what will happen to them (if homes have been damaged).
- Become easily upset, crying and whining. OR
- Be quiet and withdrawn, appear numb to their feelings, and not want to talk about the experience.
- Feel neglected by parents who are busy trying to clean up and rebuild their lives.
- Become afraid of loud noises, rain, storms, helicopters, etc.
- Be angry. They may hit, throw, kick, to show their anger, often with little provocation.
- Be afraid to be left alone or afraid to sleep alone. They may have nightmares and want to sleep with a parent or another person.
- Behave as they did when younger. They may suck their thumb, wet the bed, ask for a bottle, and want to be held alot.
- Re-experience the traumatic event through intense recollections, dreams, flashbacks or hallucinations.
- Have symptoms of illness such as nausea, vomiting, headaches, fever, and poor appetite.
- Refuse to go to school or to child care arrangements. The child may not want to be out of your sight.
- Feel guilty that they caused the disaster because of some previous behavior.
- Be afraid that the crisis may recur. They may ask many times: "Will it happen again?"
- Not show any outward signs until weeks or months later.
You may notice several of these reactions in children immediately following a crisis or disaster. If you are a professional, these suggestions may be very useful in your work with parents. If you are a parent, try what seems appropriate and if reactions continue over numerous weeks, or seem extreme and more severe than other children, seek professional assistance.
|
|
