| As students struggle to cope with the war in Iraq, terrorism and school violence they may become disturbed and confused by the barrage of images and information.
Adults - parents, teachers and caregivers - may need help to reconcile advocating
non-violence with the necessity for armies and conflict.
Children's age and
personality will influence their reactions to violent events. They may be more
sensitive to them if they know someone involved or have national ties to the countries
or places involved. They will often personalize the news they hear, or at the other extreme,
they may ignore or become immune to reports of suffering. Parents and other
adults can help children cope with war and other violent events in a variety of
ways. The following resources offer guidance, from overviews to advice for different
age groups and reactions.
Overviews
Overviews
Helping Your Kids Feel Safe
Parents Place http://www.parentsplace.com/features/safety/qas/0,10338,239436_112427,00.html
Nickelodeon Parent Talk, Violence
http://www.nick.com/all_nick/everything_nick/kaiser/violence.html
Talking
with Kids About Tough Issues TalkingWithKids.org http://www.talkingwithkids.org/
Talking with Kids about War The Learning Network http://familyeducation.com/topic/front/0,1156,62-29610-1,00.html?yf-home When
War is in the News Purdue University Extension http://www.extension.purdue.edu/purplewagon/
[ Top of page ] Helping
Young Children
Confront bullying to help students learn
http://www.reacheverychild.com/feature/bullying.html
[ Top of page ] Resources
for Caregivers, Teachers, Health Professionals and CommunitiesChild Deaths
Hit Communities Hard: Disasters Demand Psychological Triage American
Academy Pediatricians http://www.aap.org/advocacy/disarticle.htm
Crisis Communications Guide and Toolkit National Education Association
http://www.nea.org/crisis
Helping Children After a Disaster American Academy of Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/disaster.htm
Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters
National Institute of Mental Health
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/violence.cfm
Psychosocial Issues for Children and Families in Disasters: A Guide for
the Primary Care Physician (Joint publication between AAP and US Center
for Mental Health Services) http://www.mentalhealth.org/publications/allpubs/SMA95-3022/default.asp
[ Top of page ]
Coping
with Loss
Children and Grief American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/grief.htm Talking to
Children about Death Hospice Net http://www.hospicenet.org/html/talking.html
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