Children's Response to Exposure to Traumatic Events

Abstract

Children, Youth and Environments 14(1), 2004 Children’s Response to Exposure to Traumatic Events1, 2 Richard D. Allen Counseling and Psychological Services University of California, Santa Cruz William Rosse Santa Cruz County Citation: Allen, Richard D. and William Rosse. “Children’s Response to Exposure to Traumatic Events.” Children, Youth and Environments 14(1), 2004: 233-241. Comment on This Field Report© 2004 Children, Youth and Environments Children’s Response to Exposure to Traumatic Events 235 Contents Introduction............................................................................................................................ 236 Methodology........................................................................................................................... 237 Participants............................................................................................................................. 237 Instruments............................................................................................................................ 237 Results...................................................................................................................................... 239 Discussion ............................................................................................................................... 239 References .............................................................................................................................. 241 Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................ 242 Endnotes.................................................................................................................................. 242 Children’s Response to Exposure to Traumatic Events 236 Introduction The research on children’s response to exposure to traumatic events clearly documents that children who experience traumatic events are at risk for developing both short- and long-term negative emotional reactions (Swenson et al. 1996; Nader et al. 1990). Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of trauma and may need to have specific interventions to assist them in their recovery. Typically children look to their parents for assurance and assistance when faced with painful situations. If a child is looking to a parent or parents for assistance, how does the parent's own experience of and reaction to the trauma influence the child's reactions? This question is of paramount concern because parents are often the primary caregivers in supporting their children to adjust to traumatic events (Heft 1993). Gleser et al. (1981) have posited a relationship between parent or caregiver's distress and the level of distress in children. These primary caregivers may be modeling an appropriate response to the traumatic event, or may be unable to provide the assistance or assurance that the child needs. Since there is a likely relationship between a parents' and their children’s response to a traumatic situation, how parents attempt to cope with this situation may also impact how they are able to respond to the needs of their children. The research on coping and trauma has suggested that coping reactions may be related to either positive or negative outcomes (McFarlane 1988; Solomon et al. 1988). Some coping research has supported the idea that coping strategies that are active and address either the physical or psychological needs of the individual may result in a more advantageous outcome for the individual in terms of reduced stress reactions. Coping strategies which aim to avoid the traumatic situation and its effects may in turn be associated with a negative reaction for the individual, although both engagement and avoidance may have either a positive or negative effect on the individual, depending upon the severity of the stressor or a number of other variables (Mullen and Suls 1982). This study was designed to more definitively answer if there is a relationship between the level of parent and child stress following a wide scale traumatic event. It also sought to explore if parental coping reactions were associated with levels of stress experienced by children and their parents. Finally, the study sought to address the issue of parental coping styles as they relate to a willingness to seek trauma mitigation services for their children. Parental willingness to seek services for their children was assessed by follow-up survey. The questions that this study sought to answer were: 1. Following a wide-scale traumatic event, does a demonstrable relationship between parental stress levels and child stress levels exist? Specifically, are Children’s Response to Exposure to Traumatic Events 237 parents exhibiting more stress symptoms likely to have children who also exhibit more stress symptoms? 2. Is there a relationship between parental coping style and stress symptoms? Specifically, is withdrawal/avoidant coping related to more stress symptoms in parents? 3. Is there a relationship between parental coping style and child stress symptoms? Specifically, is "withdrawal" or avoidant coping in parents related to a greater number of child stress symptoms? 4. Is there a relationship between coping style and parents' receptiveness to a referral for their child(ren)? Methodology The study was conducted one week after Hurricane Marilyn (a category II/III storm) struck the Virgin Islands on September 15, 1995. The data were collected at a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) center and at...