Natural disasters such as earth quakes and tsunamis can leave children of all ages feeling frightened and confused. Powerful images of suffering on TV and print news, and the collective sorrow we are sharing at this time as we mourn for the victims of the disaster can create lots of stress in the lives of children. Children are very affected by the emotional states and reactions of their caregivers, chances are quite good that if you are feeling sad, confused or frustrated by the earthquake and it’s after effects so is your child. Children are often quite upset by surprising nature, size and general horror of a natural disaster. Their reaction may not just be emotional and traumatic but can also be intellectual, political and spiritual. They will begin to ask challenging questions like; how and why did this happen? Why can’t we go there and help? Why would God not save all of the little children?

 

Tragedy affects all of us in different ways. A child’s reaction can be immediate but can also occur over time; days or weeks or months after the event. And their reaction will change over time as they begin to develop their own understanding of what has happened. Also if the child is already coping with some difficulty in their life such as a divorce or a death in the family they may react more strongly to the disaster because it will heighten the feelings of uncertainty they are already experiencing. It is important for parents, teachers and caregivers to help child make sense of what they are seeing and hearing.

 

Children are quite idealistic; nature is beautiful and peaceful; the source of flowers, trees and butterflies and people are mostly good and life is worth living. But, sudden catastrophes challenge this idealism and their view of the world in general. Children will depend on their parents to answer their questions honestly but in a balanced way. Parents should provide information that is appropriate for the age and developmental level of their child so as not to expose children to too much of the dark side of life. Also avoid exposure to some of the very shocking images on TV and in the newspaper, too many pictures and stories of tragedy can make the disaster harder for your child to understand.

 

All children cope with difficulty and uncertainty in different ways and it may be difficult for parents, teachers and caregivers to recognize that these reactions are related to the disaster. Here are some general and typical reactions of children in times of tragedy.   -      Feelings of loss, helplessness, numbness or nervousness -      Difficulty sleeping or concentrating -      Head aches and stomachaches -      General fears and anxieties about family safety (concerns about fire, car accidents) -      Pessimism about the future (“What is point? Life is not fair.”) In general boys and girls will have different reactions to events; here is a general guide on how boys and girls may cope differently in times of tragedy. Boys -      take longer to recover -      display more aggressive, antisocial and violent behaviors Girls -      are more distressed -      are more verbal about emotions -      ask more questions -      have more frequent thoughts about the disaster