Trauma
and Children
(Information Courtesy of The
American Red Cross)
Disasters
affect people in many ways. Children can be especially
susceptible to traumatic experiences. The responses expected
of adults can also be found in children, but there are
some additional symptoms that may appear. The emotional
effects of loss and disruption may show up immediately
or may appear many months later.
It is very important to understand that there is a natural
grieving process following any loss, and that a disaster
of any size will cause unusual and unwanted stress in
those attempting to reconstruct their lives.
Some
of the trauma related problems found in children include
the following:
| *
Problems at school and inability to concentrate |
*
Clinging to parents |
| *
Reluctance to go to bed |
*
Nightmares |
| *
Fantasies that the disaster never happened |
*
Crying and screaming |
| *
Withdrawal and immobility |
*
Refusal to attend school |
| *
Return to earlier behavior, such as thumb sucking
or bed wetting |
