The Emotional Impact of Disaster on Children and Families

Children and adolescents frequently express emotional distress through somatic symptoms. The most common include headaches, stomachaches, chest pain, and nausea. These symptoms typically improve when kids are given the chance to express their feelings in an appropriate modality — play, drawing, talking. It is important to be alert to these symptoms and make the corresponding consultation if they persist. Adolescents may turn to new or increased substance use and alcohol consumption.

Special mention is needed for sleep disturbances. Insomnia, refusal to go to sleep, frequent waking, nightmares, night terrors, and fears of sleeping alone are very common. Adults should be sensitive that this is related to a child’s sense of security and respond appropriately and flexible. Bedtime rituals should resume; in addition, spending more time with children near bedtime, providing a soothing transitional object (doll, stuffed animal), leaving a light on, and staying with them until they are asleep are possibilities.

Younger children have cognitive processes that are egocentric, and may believe that they are to blamed for not behaving or for negative thoughts and fantasies. Excessive feelings of guilt and inappropriate self-blame may also arise in older children and adolescents for having survived or for being unable to prevent their loved ones from being injured or killed. It children understand is necessary that that they are not responsible for what happened in order to prevent inappropriate feelings of guilt.

Regressive behavior is common, especially among younger children whose developmental achievements are not as well consolidated. They become more dependent on adults, perhaps even clinging to them, and symptoms of separation anxiety or school refusal may appear. They may often regress to thumb-sucking, fearing the dark, wetting the bed, and even have encopretic episodes. For management of bedwetting as a symptom of acute stress in children see Table 2.