November 17 - 23, 2019: Issue 429

 

Helping Children And Young Adults Who Are Anxious About Bushfires Or Natural Disasters: Some Tips From Experts

Children can feel a profound sense of loss after a natural disaster. Pictured: children who lost their home to fire in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, in 2013. DAN HIMBRECHTS
This week two separate articles and papers have been published by Australian academics with the same subject matter - children can be overwhelmed and even experience trauma when faced with bushfires and their after effects. We run both this Issue as they provide some insights and steps to help our younger people and children cope.

Bushfires Can Make Kids Scared And Anxious: Here Are 5 Steps To Help Them Cope

November 13, 2019 by Toni Noble; Adjunct Professor, Institute for Positive Psychology & Education, Australian Catholic University

More than 600 schools have been closed, and some damaged, in recent days as bushfires rage across Queensland and New South Wales. Some students have been urgently evacuated while in school. People have lost homes and animals and are experiencing significant distress.

Research shows somewhere between 7% and 45% of children suffer depression after experiencing a natural disaster. Children more at risk of depression include those who were trapped during the event; experienced injury, fear, or bereavement; witnessed injury or death; and had poor social support.

The Victorian Education Department commissioned us after the 2009 Black Saturday fires to train teachers in seven fire-affected regions in methods to foster resilience in children.

Teachers told us their students had experienced distressing emotions including high anxiety, fear and even panic during the event. Comments from teachers included:

Their world had changed forever; they became more fearful.

Some children were very frightened and for a long time stayed close to their parents.

Many children became scared and anxious about worldwide issues.

Their anxiety was triggered by the smell of smoke, a fire engine’s siren or a foggy day.

The teachers we interviewed also noted children’s profound sense of loss (of their homes, pets and livestock). Many students knew someone who had lost a family member or friend.

One teacher said:

The fires opened students’ eyes to what a disaster is. Not just something you see on TV.

We trained teachers using our Bounce Back program – a research-based social and emotional learning program first published in 2003. Most children are resilient and will bounce back quickly. Only a small minority may be at risk of ongoing anxiety and there are ways to minimise that risk.

How to help kids cope now

Try to stay calm and reassuring. Children take cues from the adults in their lives. If adults show fear and nervousness, children tend to mirror these emotions.

Try to focus on the small positives such as “we are all safe”. You can list the things that haven’t changed, such as your children’s friends. Reassure them other people such as family, friends, teachers and their community will help and that life will return to normal.

Everyone feels sad, anxious or upset when a bushfire burns near their home. By helping your child name their feeling, you are helping them feel more in control. Here are five steps to encourage your children to do this:

  • take notice when your child is feeling sad, frightened, angry or upset
  • encourage your child to talk about what’s troubling them, and listen and show you understand how they are feeling
  • name the emotion in words your child can understand – are they “worried”, “scared”, “a bit frightened” or “sad”?
  • help your child understand it’s normal to feel that strong emotion and help them to sit with their feelings

finish with a hopeful or optimistic statement they can do something to help make things feel better. This may include something physical (such as going for a walk or throwing a basketball through a hoop), something that creates positive feelings (like playing with a pet or friend, or drawing), or doing something kind or helpful for someone else.

Resilience is the capacity to bounce back after hardship.

To help your child bounce back, you can communicate that:

  • life is mainly good but now and then everyone has a difficult or unhappy time
  • although things aren’t good now and it might take a while to improve, it’s important to stay hopeful and expect things to get better
  • you will feel better and have more ideas about what to do if you talk to someone you trust about what’s worrying or upsetting you
  • unhelpful thinking (“our family will never get a nice home again”) isn’t necessarily true and makes you feel worse
  • helpful thinking (“it might take a while to get our home back again but it will happen”) makes you feel better because it is more accurate and helps you work out what to do.

Coping after the event

Children with strong emotional support, such as from family and friends, are better able to cope with adversity.

Friendships may be disrupted after bushfires because of family relocations. Helping children connect via social media or phone with friends can reduce their sense of isolation.

Getting children back to school and regular routines can be one of the best ways to help their resilience.

Teachers are encouraged to allow time for children to talk about the bushfires and their feelings about them during class.

The teachers who participated in the Bounce Back program after Black Saturday explicitly taught children the skills for being optimistic and resilient – such as to challenge their unhelpful thinking and understand everybody, not just you, experiences setbacks sometimes.

They also taught kids skills for regulating their emotions and everyday courage to face their fears.

They used circle-time discussions of picture books and media stories to allow them to talk about their own experiences in a safe way.

We held focus groups with children of different ages in five of the primary schools that used our Bounce Back program. The children told us they: “know now what to do when something goes wrong”; “focus on more positives”; “don’t think the worst now”; “know things change”; “have learnt that sometimes you just have to put up with it”; and “now feel it’s easier to get back up in bad times”.

While a disaster can be challenging for children, a supportive home and school environment, together with coping skills, can help children recover reasonably quickly and get back to normal life.

This Article was published first in The Conversation. Republished under a Creative Commons Licence.

Trauma And Kids: The Role Of The Early Childhood Teacher

November 12, 2019
As catastrophic bushfires continue to rage across New South Wales and Queensland, thousands of people are reeling from the devastation. It's a shocking start to Australia's fire season, but beyond the physical damage, the emotional scars persist, especially for Australia's youngest citizens.

Now, in new research from the University of South Australia, researchers have explored the growing uncertainty faced by children aged 0-8 years in disaster zones, finding that early childhood teachers hold a vital role in supporting children dealing with trauma.

Globally, nearly 535 million children -- nearly one in four -- live in countries that affected by conflict or disaster, with hundreds more displaced as they seek safe refuge overseas. Today, many families and children are integrated into Australian schools, bringing with them many experiences of personal trauma.

Lead researcher, Professor Marjory Ebbeck, says we must not underestimate the role that an early childhood teacher plays in securing the emotional development of a child.

"Teachers hold a unique place for a young child. Outside their family, they're one of the most trusted and familiar faces who, in their role as a teacher, provide a welcoming and secure environment for the child to learn and develop," Prof Ebbeck says.

"When young children are confronted by trauma -- whether through natural disasters such as Australia's bushfires, or humanmade disasters such as conflicts in the Middle East ¬¬- they carry all their worries, confusion and emotions with them, and that's where teachers need to be prepared.

"Unfortunately, despite the push from international agencies to include the needs of children in disaster preparation and risk reduction strategies, few have filtered down into education programs, which means there are still large gaps in the system."

Right now, many early childhood teachers will be caring for young children who have lost their homes and precious possessions due to the fires across NSW and Queensland. No doubt, these teachers are doing everything they can to support their students, but as Prof Ebbeck says, they may not have the the right training to be successful.

In lieu of a child-specific national disaster strategy, Prof Ebbeck says there are many things teachers in childcare, preschool or early primary school can do to prepare.

"Helping a child through an emergency or trauma requires a holistic approach that not only encompasses socio-emotional development but also practical strategies, both pre, during and post emergency," Prof Ebbeck says.

"Educating children about emergencies is essential and teachers should involve their class in practice sessions so that in the event of a real emergency, children will know what to do. It's important for children to have confidence in their teachers' ability to keep them safe.

"Part of this is about being aware of what's happening in the world -- teachers can use current events to educate children in their environmental studies classes.

"Safety of children and teachers is always paramount. It's critical that teachers know their school's emergency plan, evacuation procedures, and understand how they should respond in specific events, such as bushfires.

"Of course, communication is vital. Keeping parents informed about what their children are learning is important, especially in the case of a real emergency. It also helps create a circle of trust between parents, children and teachers."

Today, with more than 600 schools and colleges closing their doors today due to bushfires in NSW and Queensland, Prof Ebbeck says teachers should be prepared to support children who may have suffered.

"There are several strategies teachers can use to help children reintegrate into the school environment," Prof Ebbeck says.

"We recommend:
  • Checking in with the child's parents -- make sure they have enough of the essentials -- food, clothing, and somewhere to stay.
  • Making sure your classroom is safe, both physically and emotionally -- familiar and welcoming surroundings create a sense of security and belonging for children.
  • Listening to children -- don't avoid difficult questions. Children are curious and need to work through their worries and concerns.
  • Delivering consistent and predictable routines -- children love routines. Having a safe, predictable environment creates stability and security.
  • Checking in on friendships -- make sure the child is still engaging with their peers and friendships helps them build confidence, and well-being.
  • Providing opportunities for expression -- dramatic play and artwork enable children to freely express and explore their feelings.
  • Maintaining trust- building secure relationships are essential. A trusting, caring environment provides the best basis to build self-esteem and resilience.
"There's no doubt the role of the teacher is complex, especially when their students and community are confronted by trauma or disaster.

"And, while we cannot prevent disasters from happening, understanding more about what teachers can do to prepare for and respond to an emergency situation, can certainly help."

Marjory Ebbeck, Hoi Yin Bonnie Yim, Ting Wei. Preparing children for an uncertain future: the role of the early childhood teacher. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 2019; 0 DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2019.1617808