Children and news of violence and terrorism

Attacks or terrorist attacks raise fear and anxiety among adults. Parents face an additional dilemma: how to tell children what to do and what to know.

According to specialists in this field it is advisable to talk to children about the operations and bloody attacks instead of trying to keep them away from them and prevent them from seeing them.

The psychologist, Emma Sitron, believes that families should not be covered up by the attack, such as the attack on the British city of Manchester. "Tell them what they want to know, ask them what they want to know, and let them know."

"Help children emotionally and be by their side, hug them to your chest, cry with them if you cry and have your emotional reaction like them," Sitron said.

Normal reaction

The closure of radio and television may be the direct response of parents in such cases to prevent children from the negative impact of such incidents. However, a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Bernadka Dubeka believes that the attempt to prevent children from the negative psychological effects of the news is now practically impossible.

"Parents can not completely block these events from children, because the news is flowing on children and young people round the clock. Having parents with children when such news comes in and helping them emotionally is crucial."

Sitron said it was necessary for parents to talk about the news, but they had to avoid unnecessary details and say: "The violent scenes containing blood or paraphernalia should not be accurately described or shown to children."

Sitron asks parents to be firm with young people and to prevent them from accessing the Internet, searching for minute details that are not useful, but parents should talk to children while keeping their fears in check.

Statements such as "This is a very rare incident" or "It is a painful but fortunately rare incident" or "Security measures will be tightened" are useful in such cases, because at the end we do not want the children to feel scared when they leave the house, To grow up and live a healthy, happy and balanced life, in her opinion.

Symptoms of Troma in children

Fear, anxiety and parenting

Smooth night (bed wetting)

Mental rudeness and transient thinking and memories

Lack of focus

Rebellion and Rift

Headaches and stomach pains