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After
a Disaster: How to Help Child Victims
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- Disaster
Resource List
Children who experience
an initial traumatic event before they are 11 years old are three times
more likely to develop psychological symptoms than those who experience
their first trauma as a teenager or later. But children are able to cope
better with a traumatic event if parents, friends, family, teachers and
other adults support and help them with their experiences. Help should start
as soon as possible after the event.
It's important to
remember that some children may never show distress because they don't
feel upset, while others may not give evidence of being upset for several
weeks or even months. Other children may not show a change in behavior,
but may still need your help.
Children may exhibit
these behaviors after a disaster:
- Be upset over the
loss of a favorite toy, blanket, teddy bear or other times that adults
might consider insignificant, but which are important to the child.
- Change from being
quiet, obedient and caring to loud, noisy and aggressive or may change
from being outgoing to shy and afraid.
- Develop nighttime
fears. They may be afraid to sleep alone at night, with the light off,
to sleep in their own room, or have nightmares or bad dreams.
- Be afraid the event
will reoccur.
- Become easily upset,
crying and whining.
- Lose trust in adults.
After all, their adults were not able to control the disaster.
- Revert to younger
behavior such as bed wetting and thumb sucking.
- Not want parents
out of their sight and refuse to go to school or childcare.
- Feel guilty that
they caused the disaster because of something they had said or done.
- Become afraid of
wind, rain or sudden loud noises.
- Have symptoms of
illness, such as headaches, vomiting or fever.
- Worry about where
they and their family will live.
Things Parents
or Other Caring Adults Can Do
- Talk with the children
about how they are feeling and listen without judgment. Let them know
they can have own feelings, which might be different than others. It's
OK.
- Let the children
take their time to figure things out and to have their feelings. Don't
rush them or pretend that they don't think or feel as they do.
- Help them learn
to use words that express their feelings, such as happy, sad, angry,
mad and scared. Just be sure the words fit their feelings - not yours.
- Assure fearful
children that you will be there to take care of them. Reassure them
many times.
- Stay together as
a family as much as possible.
- Go back as soon
as possible to former routines or develop new ones. Maintain a regular
schedule for the children.
- Reassure the children
that the disaster was not their fault in any way.
- Let them have some
control, such as choosing what outfit to wear or what meal to have for
dinner.
- Help your children
know that others love them and care about them by visiting, talking
on the phone or writing to family members, friends and neighbors.
- Encourage the children
to give or send pictures they have drawn or things they have written.
- Re-establish contact
with extended family members.
- Help your children
learn to trust adults again by keeping promises, including children
in planning routines and outings.
- Help your children
regain faith in the future by helping them develop plans for activities
that will take place later - next week, next month.
- Children cope better
when they are healthy, so be sure your children get needed healthcare
as soon as possible.
- Make sure the children
are getting balanced meals and eating enough food and getting enough
rest.
- Remember to take
care of yourself so you can take care of your children.
- Spend extra time
with your children at bedtime. Read stories, rub their backs, listen
to music, talk quietly about the day.
- If you will be
away for a time, tell them where you are going and make sure you return
or call at the time you say you will.
- Allow special privileges
such as leaving the light on when they sleep for a period of time after
the disaster.
- Limit their exposure
to additional trauma, including news reports.
- Children should
not be expected to be brave or tough, or to "not cry."
- Don't be afraid
to "spoil" children in this period after a disaster.
- Don't give children
more information than they can handle about the disaster.
- Don't minimize
the event.
- Find ways to emphasize
to the children that you love them.
- Allow the children
to grieve losses.
- Develop positive
anniversary activities to commemorate the event. These events may bring
tears, but they are also a time to celebrate survival and the ability
to get back to a normal life.
Activities for
Children
- Encourage the children
to draw or paint pictures of how they feel about their experiences.
Hang these at the child's level to be seen easily. (These may also be
posted on the FEMA for Kids Web site.
- Write a story of
the frightening event. You might start with: Once upon a time there
was a terrible ___________ and it scared us all ____________. This is
what happened: __________. Be sure to end with "And we are now safe."
- Playing with playdough
or clay is good for children to release tension and make symbolic creations.
- Music is fun and
valuable for children. Creating music with instruments or rhythm toys
helps relieve stress and tension.
- Provide the children
with clothes, shoes, hats, etc. so they can play "dress up" and can
pretend to be adults in charge of recovering from the disaster and "being
in charge."
- Make puppets with
the children and put on a puppet show for family and friends, or help
children put on a skit about what they experienced.
- Read stories about
disasters to and with children.
This
information is provided by Beryl Cheal, an educator with
Disaster Training International
P.O. Box 30144
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 781-0701 |
