Posts Tagged ‘ terrorism ’
Family Safety Tip Sheet – Helping Children Cope With Traumatic Events
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Introduction |
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Helping Your Child |
Introduction
By now, many children have witnessed, over and over again on television, acts of horrific violence and destruction. As a consequence, you may notice that your child may begin to act differently. Following are some of the ways children respond and react to violence they've watched on TV.
- Vivid memories about the events. Your child probably can and will remember detailed scenes of the traumatic incidents he or she has viewed. Children often draw pictures of the disturbing scenes or even act out what they've seen in play.
- Questions and concerns. Your child may ask numerous questions about the disturbing images he or she has seen and may be frightened that similar acts of terrorism will occur again. Of course, it is natural for children to be alert and concerned, but excessive worries are a sign that children are having difficulty processing what they've witnessed.
- Upset feelings or listlessness. Your child may become more easily upset or angry. Or your child may appear to be just the opposite and seem not to care about anything at all.
- A need to talk about it. Children often feel the need to talk about what happened (the traumatic event) again and again. Even a generally quiet child may talk a lot about what he or she saw, felt and did during the time he or she witnessed the troubling event.
- Trouble sitting still. Your child may become more active, have problems paying attention, and be more impatient.
- Nightmares and trouble sleeping. Your child may be afraid to go to sleep or wake up frightened from bad dreams.
- Fears of being alone. Some children are afraid of being left alone. Your child may cling to you and may be frightened of leaving home to go to school.
- Physical problems. Your child may suffer from headaches, stomach aches, nausea, and fatigue.
Helping Your Child
You can help your child through this difficult time by:
- Letting your child talk about the incidents. It may be painful, but the best thing you can do for children is to listen to their stories, let them draw pictures and/or act out the incidents in their play. Talking, drawing and play-acting are healthy and natural ways for children to work through difficult reactions.
- Comforting your child. Make it a point to hold and comfort your child more during this time of adjustment. Your child is reaching out to you for security. Extra love and affection will not spoil him or her and instead will speed emotional healing.
- Not being over-protective. This may be the most difficult for you to do, but you must fight the temptation to over-protect your child. It may be very hard even to let him or her out of your sight, but it’s important that your child returns to a regular routine as soon as possible.
- Being a good example. Actions speak louder than words, and by your actions, you can set an example for your child of how to handle these reactions in a productive way. Behave in ways that communicate to your child that the world is safe to live in even though very bad and scary things do happen at times.
- Encouraging your child to help and reach out to others. If your child is able, you may want to encourage him or her to make a positive difference by, for example, offering a donation to the Red Cross or other volunteer organizations. This is something that you and your child can do together and the act will increase your child's sense of safety with you as well as in the world.
- Seeking help if your child is suffering severe and prolonged problems. Your child needs more help if he or she is having extreme reactions, such as repeated nightmares, “flashbacks” of the event, crying spells, behavior problems, and panic reactions. If you feel you've tried to help your child work through his or her reactions to regain a sense of safety, but your child's fears, sadness or anxiety does not seem to be relieved, don't hesitate to seek help from a social worker, pastor, school counselor or other caring individual.
Related Articles:
Family Safety Tip Sheet – Coping With Terrorism
NOTE: Lynn Hagan is a social worker who lived and worked in Kuwait for five years. As part of her duties she counseled State Department employees helping them deal with the stress and tension of living in this highly volatile region bordered by Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
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Introduction |
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Who Is Affected? |
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What You May Experience Following a Terrorist Attack |
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Coping With Trauma |
Introduction
Terrorism threatens a society by instilling fear and helplessness in its citizens. It seeks to hold a society or government hostage by fear of destruction and harm.
When terrorist acts occur, people generally look for ways to cope with the acute stress and trauma. Terrorism evokes a fundamental fear of helplessness. The violent actions are random, unprovoked, and intentional, and often are targeted at defenseless citizens. Trying to cope with the irrational information that is beyond normal comprehension can set off a chain of psychological events culminating in feelings of fear, helplessness, vulnerability, and grief.
Xenophobia, or the fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners, can be heightened under a terrorist threat and can become a social and psychological danger. The fear generated by terrorism can be exacerbated by a population's diversity if there is distrust between groups, categories and classification of citizens.
In reality, diversity in a population is often an opportunity for unity and strength. Members of our diverse society who have experienced past terrorist incidents possess knowledge and experience gained from surviving and coping with these incidents. This can make them a valuable resource on how to cope and how to offer assistance to others.
Who Is Affected?
After a terrorist attack, many people are impacted. Those who have experienced the trauma often fall into the following categories:
- Survivors of past traumatic events (e.g. refugees of wars, terrorism, or torture, and survivors of domestic violence, child abuse, or street crime). These individuals may have a heightened sense of vulnerability.
- People who personally witnessed or were victims of the terrorist attack.
- People who experience traumatization from learning of relatives, friends and acquaintances that were subject to the violence, or who are traumatized from exposure to repeated media accounts of the trauma.
What You May Experience Following a Terrorist Attack
People who have experienced or witnessed a terrorist attack may enter a state of acute stress reaction. One or all of these symptoms are possible:
- Recurring thoughts of the incident
- Becoming afraid of everything, not leaving the house, or self-isolating
- Stopping usual functioning, no longer maintaining daily routines
- Survivor guilt — “Why did I survive?” or “ I should have done something more.”
- Tremendous sense of loss
- Reluctance to express feelings, losing a sense of control over one's life
Coping With the Trauma
- Identify the feelings that you may be experiencing. Understand that these feelings are a normal reaction to an abnormal situation.
- Remember that you have overcome adversity and trauma in the past. Try to remember what you did that helped you overcome the fear and helplessness in that situation.
- Talk to others about your fears. It's okay to ask for help. Workplaces may convene small groups with a mental health professional so people can share feelings.
- On the other hand, if you do not feel like talking, that is alright too. Some people find exercise and other active ways of releasing feels more helpful.
- Make efforts to maintain a usual routine.
- Think positively. Realize that things will get better. Be realistic about the time it takes to feel better.
- Recognize that the nature of terrorist attacks creates fear and uncertainty about the future. Continue to do enjoyable things. Avoid preoccupation with the things you cannot control to the extent that they prevent you from living your normal life.
- Know the actions our government is taking to combat terrorism and restore safety and security. Recognize that trained officials throughout the country are mobilized to prevent, prepare for and respond to terrorist attacks. This reassurance can help create a sense of safety.
- Limit exposure to media coverage.
- If you are having trouble coping with the terrorist attacks, consider seeking help from a mental health professional. Many clinical social workers have expertise in treating the anxiety that can result.
Repeated Media Exposure to Trauma
Repeated exposure to trauma by the media, even though the trauma is not being experienced first hand, can have the same kind of negative effects. Seeing disturbing images over and over not only desensitizes one to the event, but also adds trauma upon trauma – further intensifying the reactions to the event. By getting some distance from the event, by turning off the television or other media, we gives ourselves a chance to catch our breath and refocus our attention.
It will take some time to get over a traumatic event, and the time required to heal will vary by individual. Remember, things will return to normal. Completing daily tasks will become easier, sleeping, appetite, and energy levels will improve, feelings related to the present and future will be brighter, and the ability to enjoy life again will return. If the post traumatic stress symptoms do not improve within 6 months or severely interfere with daily functioning, one should seek professional assistance to help further deal with the trauma. Assistance should come from mental health professionals who are specially trained and experienced in dealing with the aftermath of trauma.
