NCJ Number
195822
Date Published
2001
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This report from the National Institute of Mental Health discuses the various ways that parents, teachers, and mental health professionals can aid young people in coping with violence or disasters.
Abstract
Addressing ways to help the child or adolescent trauma survivor cope with witnessing or being victim to violence or disasters, this report from the National Institute of Mental Health serves as a fact sheet to help parents, teachers, and mental health professionals understand how trauma affects children and adolescents. After describing what is meant by “trauma,” this fact sheet explains the various ways that children and adolescents react to trauma by presenting “typical reactions” of children aged 5 years and younger, aged 6 to 11 years, and aged 12 to 17 years. A comprehensive discussion of the ways that one may help children and adolescents cope with violence or disasters is followed by a presentation of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its treatments. After discussing recent research on how trauma affects children and adolescents, this fact sheet provides a Violence/Disasters/PTSD resource list. References