Psychologist Says Kids in Oregon's Disaster Areas Need TLC

An expert says the most important thing to remember is that children depend on the family system for most of their coping ability.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - The aftermath of Oregon's wind and flood disaster may be affecting children much more than we think, said a disaster psychologist working with the Oregon Department of Human Services.

"Children require special care following a disaster," said Laurel Hughes, Psy. D., who has assisted in more than 50 American Red Cross disaster relief efforts since 1993.

In the past, it was felt that children were not affected significantly by trauma and adversity and should bounce right back after a disaster, but that's not so, Hughes said.

"We now know that children are more vulnerable than adults, whose life experiences have helped them learn to cope with difficult circumstances. Children rely more on family and community connections for coping," she explained. "They react to disaster because of exposure to trauma and to losses and disruption of routine. They worry about becoming separated from their parents or the disaster happening again."

Hughes said children's reactions may differ based on gender and age. Boys may take longer to recover and act out their feelings with aggressive, antisocial and violent behavior. Girls tend to think about the disaster, experience greater distress and discuss the incident and their emotions surrounding it.

A child's age and development level may also affect reactions, she explained. For example, children under 2 may not understand what is happening, but they're sensitive to the distress of their caregivers and loss of usual routine.

Hughes said "magical thinking" common to preschoolers may lead them to blame themselves for the disaster. School-age children may worry about friends, loss of fun activities and academic difficulties -- some may fear being separated from their parents and refuse to go to school. Adolescents, already prone to taking ill-advised risks, may feel invulnerable after they've "survived" a disaster and engage in greater risk-taking.

"Symptoms that last for a month or so after a disaster are normal, but if they are severe or persist, children may benefit from counseling," Hughes said.

She offered these tips for parents to speed recovery or prevent more serious symptoms from developing:

"Most importantly, remember that children depend on the family system for most of their coping ability," said Hughes. "If parents are strongly affected, children will be too. "Children's distress increases as their parents' distress increases and a vicious cycle can be created. What will help children most is for parents to monitor their own reactions and take care of themselves."

Main Reference: Psychosocial Issues for Children and Families in Disasters: A Guide for the Primary Care Physician, National Mental Health Information Center, SAMHSA. mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications

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Henry Ruark December 14, 2007 6:05 am (Pacific time)

To all: On this one must warn all on thread not to be sabotaged in own solid factual-based opinion by undue feeling made to seem as if it were really objective and reasonable judgments--by presumablly adult person with special experiences. Kids ARE malleable and strong, no doubt; BUT what seems small-impact to somewhat more matured "adult" can mislead that adult to what amounts to psychological abuse, no matter how well apparently justified. Well remember IU-EdD. program special report by researchers then, with much more now discovered. Can cite depth, detail, cognitive science new research here, if so demanded; but plain old common sense as per grandmother's advice to many millions of parents should suffice. Kids are sometimes much more fragile than even Daddy may understand...as more than one of my four sons and one daughter surely taught me, long ago.

Neal Feldman December 13, 2007 12:27 pm (Pacific time)

Sue - continuous coddling is not the answer. And I do not say 'suck it up' in every instance.. there ARE *real* disasters. This, I'm just pointing out, just isn't one of them. But again, just as 'suck it up' does not apply in all cases neither does continuous coddling. I agree, the kids are our future... and I weep for the future we are heading for lead by a bunch of coddled milquetoasts without the balls to handle any level of adversity regardless of how minimal, who fall completely to pieces at the slightest misfortune without their 'Binky' at the ready, and who, after decades of disinfecting every surface on the planet adults without even a basic immune system such that the common cold becomes a terminal affliction in the majority of cases. These days kids are scheduled for their every waking second and are not allowed out of the sight of guardians due to paranoia. When I was a kid I would have considered how kids are treated now to be insulting and akin to being in prison. Kids these days have virtually no freedom and so are going to grow into adults without a concept of what freedom is. And when they start making laws that is when freedom in this country will die. I don't know about you but I kinda like freedom. I do not want to see it go away because I know once it does it will be a mother to ever get it back, if getting it back would ever be possible. Remember none of the Bill of Rights, if put up today for popular vote, would pass. Keep that in mind before you so cavalierly advocate mob rule or pop psych BS as fact. Ah well...

Neal Feldman December 13, 2007 12:16 pm (Pacific time)

Anne - the whackadoos are on the other thread. Are you trying to bring such here? And you seem to be confusing 'empathy' with 'agrees with Anne'. My how arrogant of you. As a matter of fact I am quite empathic... much moreso than the norm. I pick up on emotions all the time. It is one of the reasons I focus positions on facts not emotions. and the facts here are as I pointed them out. This storm was NOT a 'disaster'. American Heritage dictionary defined 'disaster' as: "An occurrence causing widespread destruction and distress; a catastrophe." The storm recently and its aftermath do not come close to qualifying as such. There is being empathic and there is letting emotions cloud reason. There is having an open mind and having one's mind so open the brains fall out. Can you see what I am talking about? Please do not ask me to dumb it down any more than this... it almost causes physical pain to do it this much. Ah well...

Neal Feldman December 13, 2007 12:08 pm (Pacific time)

Henry - I disagree though that kids are so much more hsrmed. My experience and study shows kids are far more resilient than most adults. Kids take major changes in life in stride all the time while adults shatter at the least misfortune more often than not. But it aids the cottage industry of pop psych and Gestapo CPS to pretend that children are as fragile as spun glass so then they can push for all manner of horrendous things in the name of 'protecting the children'. Ah well...

Henry Ruark December 13, 2007 9:00 am (Pacific time)

To all: Life's little...and not so little...difficulties invariably have impact on those experiencing them. What then occurs is not mystical in the least; you either learn-and-grow, and end up with greatly increased empathy, or you deny, defy and delimit your own progression, with obvious results in what you do AND what you say or write. Choice is really matter of individual capacity and also of individual ongoing-action. SO pay for the privilege of learning from life by the simple act of sharing and empathetic action, on the basis of everyday, everyway rational and reasonable behavior.

Sue December 13, 2007 8:12 am (Pacific time)

Neal: Sorry for your losses. I too suffered as a child and dealt with it differently than you. I have suffered "things" as an adult and had a very different understanding. The fact is that children are our future. We want them to get through any abnormalties as best as possible. Why would we not support them. Telling them to suck it up isn't supporting them.

Henry Ruark December 12, 2007 3:14 pm (Pacific time)

Neal et al: Surprised to sample your dyspeptic response to common sense now capsulized into solid scientific study findings. These basic facts overviewed here part of whole pattern every working person in close contact with affected children soon learns --by actual contact, NOT Social Survival 101 in abstruse text. IF disregarded, then consequences follow inexorably for those so-affected.

Anne December 12, 2007 8:17 pm (Pacific time)

"...better to be safe with "sudden love" and deep concern-demonstrated than to deny and defy the reality." You're right Henry, but that would be asking of Neal a level of empathy that he's not capable of, surely a symptom of the fractured family system he just described. If he wasn't afforded deep concern, why should any other child be afforded such care and attention, right? C'mon Neal, we're talking about protecting our children, or do those affected by trauma and losses warrant your whackadoo label?

Henry Ruark December 12, 2007 6:04 pm (Pacific time)

Neal et al: We all deal with life's blows as best we can, some more capably than others. Long psychological research and experience has proven without doubt that we sometimes escape reality by denial, extremely hard to self-diagnose. But that in no way denies or disproves the realities kids face when even what to us is "small stuff" impacts them much more strongly...and we do well to over-diagnose than to ignore and deny, since cost to them is so extreme. Believe me, I appreciate the difficult task of decision involved, but better to be safe with "sudden love" and deep concern-demonstrated than to deny and defy the reality.

Neal Feldman December 12, 2007 4:49 pm (Pacific time)

Sue - I have had a home fire... crap happens, you get up and move on. That does not make it a 'disaster'. A few homes flooding or burning down is not a 'disaster'. I listed a few real disasters. But like so much today every definition is being expanded to include ridiculous things. Look at a kid crossly it is child abuse. Even the most innocuous misfortune or disappointment is a 'disaster'. It is disgusting! Every little storm today is cause for a 'disaster' declaration because it opens the floodgates of federal funds not because it is really a 'disaster'. My mother had a cerebral aneurysm when I was 9. Do you think that did not impact my life in a negative way far more than any house flood from the recent storm could have? Did I sit around bemoaning it? No. I dealt with the situation. My father worked most of the time so it was on me to take care of the house, younger sister and invalid mother. Again, did I whine and cry about it? Not a chance. I dealt with what needed dealing with as did my father and my sister. Today my mother is pretty self sufficient living on her own in Florida, my sister, JAP (Jewish American Princess) that I may consider her at times seems to be doing ok in her marriage also in FL. Dad died in 96 of recovery issues from an aortic aneurysm (shows what being a workaholic gets you doesn't it?) but I'm doing well enough (my health issues are inconvenient, not life threatening) but even still I'm more 'devastated' than those who just got some stuff wet. Do you see me crying and whining about it? No. I deal with what comes up like I always have. That is the mindset and attitude that made this country great... and it is the wussbag whining and crying touchy-fee lie crapola that is destroying this country on all levels. Like I say.. stop trying to redefine everything and stop trying to wrap kids in bubblewrap. Another issue related to this I have is this push to disinfect everything like a single germ will be the end of humanity. Do this enough and folks won't have an immune system capable of preventing the common cold from being fatal! Leave the germs alone unless they are known to be bad. But that is just too much common sense when there are so many dollars to be made whipping up the anti-germ hysteria. As for misfortunes having 'everlasting effects' there is a term to describe those who wallow in self pity, live in their past misfortunes and blame everyone and everything but themselves for their current situation... the term is "LOSER". Like it or hate it, it is the truth. Ah well...

Henry Ruark December 12, 2007 3:39 pm (Pacific time)

Sue et al: Admire your reflected understanding of kids here, too. It is inexorably clear that small-things sometimes have overly-strong impacts, including experiences from any kind of threat to family surround which is deeply felt protection for growing-ones at all ages. Anyone working with kids must, sooner or later, comprehend this inescapable fact of human development, if success is truly sought in such work or imposed situations brought about no matter how.

Sue December 12, 2007 3:10 pm (Pacific time)

Neal, maybe if it was YOUR house that was ruined, you might consider it a disaster. Have a little compassion. Yes, kids are resilient, but it can still have an everlasting effect.

Neal Feldman December 12, 2007 2:32 pm (Pacific time)

Oh puh-LEEZE! First it was not much of a 'disaster' in the first place. Mt St Helens... Krakatoa... Katrina... THOSE were disasters... This was not even a blip on the radar. Second, kids are a lot more resilient than these whiners give them credit for. However did humanity ever survive to this day without these self-appointed 'experts'? Feh! Ah well...

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Psychologist Says Kids in Oregon's Disaster Areas Need TLC

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