Tourette Syndrome Plus - Conditions - Anxiety - Helping Children Cope with Anxiety about War and Terrorism

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Information Section: Conditions
Condition: Anxiety
Article: Helping Children Cope with Anxiety about War and Terrorism
Source: Leslie E. Packer, PhD
This File Last Updated: Feb. 4, 2006

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HELPING CHILDREN COPE WITH ANXIETY ABOUT TERRORISM AND WAR

After 9-11-01, this site had provided some links to articles for parents and teachers to help children cope with anxiety and the aftermath of 9-11. I had hoped to be able to remove this page, but found myself updating it again during the runup to the war in Iraq. It is now almost two years later, and sadly, this page will remain and has been updated once more.

RESOURCES

Articles on This Site:

Having difficulty talking to your children about their feelings or avoiding the topic because you feel like you don't know what to say or do? If you're a parent who's in need of some strategies, you may want to read and adapt these ideas from Elizabeth Crary.
Gerald Juhnke published an article in 2002 for school counselors describing an adapted family debriefing model that provides a two-phase model for debriefing parents and then students (.pdf format)
Helping Children and Families Cope with War and Trauma from the Parents as Teachers National Center (also available in .pdf format).
Sydney Gurewitz Clemens, M.A. explains how teachers of children aged 3 to 7 might structure a discussion with young children about a trauma or terrorist act.

External Links to Other Sites:

Wanda P. Fremont, M.D., has written an article that is available online in its full form, called "Childhood Reactions to Terrorism-Induced Trauma."
Dr. Anita Gurian of the NYU Child Study Center has written an article, "Talking to Kids About Violent Images of War" that parents might find helpful in light of all the violent and gruesome images that appear on the news and on the Internet.
The Western Psychiatric Clinic published advice for parents that includes recognizing signs of stress in your children and tips for dealing with it.
In 2003, the National Association of School Psychologists published some helpful tips for parents and teachers for helping children cope in unsettling times. There is also a companion file that can be given to students as tips to help themselves cope.
In 2003, the American Psychological Association published an article that provides guidelines for parents and teachers following a trauma or disaster, organized by age group of the children.
NYU's Child Study Center also provides some thoughts on talking to kids about terrorism and war.
Young children do not have an adult's understanding of death. In talking with children, you will need to keep their developmental age in mind. Carla Goette has provided a description of a child's understanding of death at each developmental stage.
If you're a teacher, the LessonsPlansPage site has a number of lesson plans that relate to terrorism, coping, and empathy.
Parents and teachers may find a list of resources compiled by PBS to be very helpful and to provide some ideas and information to enhance tolerance.
The Jefferson Center for Mental Health has a section on Emotions & Reactions to War
Helping Children Cope with the Challenges of War and Terrorism provides free downloads and a free supplement for teachers and counselors.
The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology issued an executive summary, "The impact of terrorism on brain and behavior: What we know and what we need to know" (.pdf file).

Military-Related:

If you're in the military, the National Mental Health Association has published Coping with War-Releated Stress: Information for Military Families and Communities that provides helpful information and links and contact information for organizations and programs that can help members of the military or their families cope.
The National Association of School Psychologists published some suggestions to caregivers called, Parents Called to Active Duty: Helping Children Cope

If you know a young child whose mother or father has been sent overseas, you may want to know about this story book for children by Michelle Ferguson-Cohen. It comes in two versions, "Daddy, You're My Hero," and "Mommy, You're My Hero." Amazon.com also has other books for kids whose parents are deployed.

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