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The Psychological Impact of Disaster
Information For Parents: Talking to Children about Disasters
What to Say to Your Child And How to Say
It
- Let your child know that they are safe
- Let your child know that you (and other adults in their lives) are
there to LISTEN and to answer questions
- Let your child know that it is normal to experience many different
thoughts and feelings after experiencing a disaster
- Let your child know that you and they will find ways to cope with
the disaster
- Use your judgment as to how much factual information is appropriate
- following your child's cue as to how much is enough
- Use words that your child understands
- Allow your child to tell you what they understand about the disaster
- Allow your child to tell you how they feel, in words or in play
- You CAN share your concerns about the disaster with your child, but
try to leave them feeling safe at the end of the conversation
- Children should not watch graphic events on television alone, and
benefit from having an adult to process this information with them
- Viewing potentially upsetting scenes over and over is not helpful
What Your Child May Experience
- A child's age affects how much information the child can understand
and how he/she will respond to the disaster
- Most children will be able to cope with what they have experienced
- There is no right or wrong way to process information about the disaster
- Many children will want or need to talk to parents, teachers, guidance
counselors or peers about their experiences and feelings
- Some children will not want to talk a lot about the disaster at all
- You should be alert to changes in a child's behavior, including:
- Not wanting to return to school
- Clinging behavior, not wanting to leave the parents' side
- Fears about separation from parents/guardians
- Problems sleeping such as nightmares, screaming during sleep, or bedwetting
- Not being able to concentrate
- Being grumpy, irritable or jumpy
- A change in behavior such as misbehaving in school or home
- Physical complaints such as stomachaches, headaches, dizziness
- Feeling sad and not wanting to play with friends
- Several weeks after the experience of the disaster, some (few) children
may develop "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder" (PTSD).
Children with PTSD can have:
- Repeated episodes when they re-live the traumatic event
- Repeated experiences of excessive fear.
- The feeling of being numb, seeming to be lost, and becoming withdrawn
- Excessive thoughts or images related to the event, which interfere
with other functions and activities
- Disturbing dreams, nightmares or flashbacks related to the event
Prepared by: Mount Sinai Hospital Divisions of Child
& Adolescent Psychiatry, Traumatic Stress Studies, and General Pediatrics
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