A University of Kansas professor who specializes in the psychological impact of terrorism on children is available to comment on terrorism and disasters, such as the recent sniper attacks in the Maryland-Virginia area.
Eric Vernberg, professor of clinical child psychology and director of the KU Child and Family Services Clinic, recently co-edited the book, "Helping Children Cope With Disasters and Terrorism," for the American Psychological Association. He has done extensive research on the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children. This is one possible outcome in disasters and terrorist attacks, such as the 1995 bombing of the Alfred Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
Ther Merrill Advanced Studies Center at KU has on online guide based on Vernberg's expertise titled, "10 Things You Should Know About Children Coping with Terrorism." It can be viewed at the Merrill Center site: http://merrill.ku.edu/IntheKnow/sciencearticles/terrorism.html
Some of the findings from Vernberg's book include:
Causes for post-traumatic stress disorder in children:
A child may be at risk [for PTSD] when she experiences any number of violent acts, including: kidnapping, sniper fire, school shootings, motor vehicle accidents, severe burns, community violence, war, sexual or physical abuse, rape or murder of a parent.
The impact of media coverage on children:
Children can develop some symptoms of PTSD even though they were not directly involved in a disaster. The impact of TV viewing has been documented in Oklahoma where graphic coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing lasted several weeks and reappeared with intensity at the time of the criminal trial eight months later. Researchers found that middle school children who lived 100 miles from the city had post-traumatic stress that affected their performance at school or home for as long as two years.
How children often deal with traumatic situations:
When situations remind a child of the traumatic event, a child may try to avoid them. For even routine activities, a child becomes anxious when leaving his parents. At playtime, he may re-enact the traumatic event in ways that can be disturbing to the adults around him.
He may have difficulty sleeping and experience nightmares and may startle more easily from sounds or touch. A seriously traumatized child may shut down emotionally and show no feelings at all; this is typical immediately following a disaster, but unhealthy in the long run.
It is common for children to be anxious, to have fears, to become easily distracted, and to have "baby" behaviors they've long outgrown. Mental health professionals can assess whether these behaviors are of concern.
How parents can help children cope with traumatic situations:
Young children derive their sense of well being from parents, especially their mother. To the degree the parent is traumatized, so the young child will be. On the other hand, the most reliable predictor that a child will successfully manage trauma is the adaptive capacity of his parents. Children respond well to parents who reassure them that they are safe, help them put events into context, and give them immediate and ongoing emotional support.
Parents can limit their child's exposure to trauma by monitoring the TV and other messages that may disrupt the child's need for continuity and stability.
One of the ways we move beyond fear as human beings is by putting things into context and reasoning our way through a crisis. Children have not yet arrived at this stage of growth. Their ability to say what is bothering them is also limited. This is why playacting, drawing and stories are good therapy for children.
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