A Child's Reaction to Disaster By Age (birth - 2)

Children react to disaster differently according to their age.  They may respond to disaster by demonstrating increased anxiety or emotional and behavioral problems.

According to the American Red Cross, children from birth to 2 years of age may display some of the following common physical and emotional reactions after a disaster or traumatic event.

Birth to 2 years--When children are pre-verbal and experience a trauma, they do not have the words to describe the event or their feelings.  However, they can retain memories of particular sights, sounds, or smells.  Infants may react to trauma by being irritable, crying more than usual, or wanting to be held and cuddled.  As children get older, their play may involve acting  our elements of the traumatic event that occurred several years in the past and was seemingly forgotten.

Stay tuned to "Lifeline" for more information on other age groups and how they cope with disaster and traumatic events.

For more information on helping children cope with disaster or traumatic events, please contact us or visit our websites at:
pvcep.pvamu.edu; or
dallas-tx.tamu.edu; or contact Marvin R. Young at 214-904-3050 or mryoung@tamu.edu


About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Marvin Young published on September 9, 2009 11:13 AM.

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Warning Signs of Caregiving Stress is the next entry in this blog.

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