Symptoms of post-traumatic stress in children can sometimes go unnoticed, not easily recognized by adults.

Preschool

• Feelings of helplessness, uncertainty; renewed separation anxiety
• Fear may move into other aspects of life
• May regress developmentally
• Nightmares, fear of going to sleep

Parents can:

• Provide comfort, rest and opportunities to play or draw
• Provide reassurance that the trauma is over and child is safe
• Help children verbalize feelings
• Provide consistent caretaking
• Inform children of parents’ whereabouts for sense of security

School age

• Guilt or shame over what they did or didn’t do during the disaster
• Constant retelling of the traumatic event
• Sleep disturbances, fear of sleeping alone, nightmares
• Poor concentration at school
• Drop in school performance or attendance
• Headaches and stomachaches with no obvious cause
• Unusually reckless or aggressive behavior

Parents can:

• Encourage children to express fears, sadness and anger in supportive environment of the family
• Acknowledge that their feelings are normal
• Correct any distortions of the events that they express

Adolescents

• Feelings of fear, vulnerability and concern with being labeled “abnormal” or different from peers may cause withdrawal
• Shame and guilt about the event
• Fantasies of revenge and retribution
• May engage in self-destructive or accident-prone behavior

Parents can:

• Discuss the possible strain on relationships with family and peers and offer support with those challenges
• Discuss acting out behavior and thoughts of revenge and help formulate constructive alternatives that lessen the sense of helplessness

Source: The National Child Traumatic Stress Network