Coping with Trauma: How To Support Your Young Person

The devastating bushfires across Australia have had unprecedented environmental, financial, social and emotional impacts. One of the biggest concerns for parents is monitoring the wellbeing of their children. Understandably, a lot of parents want to know how they can best support their children and adolescents, and the signs to look out for that may indicate extra support is needed.  

Who is affected?

 ·      In children under 6, those who directly experience an event, witness the event as it occurs to others (especially primary caregivers) or learn that the event occurred to a parent or caregiver.

·      In children/adolescents over 6, those who directly experience the event, witness the event as it occurs to others, or learn that the event occurred to a close family member or close friend. 

Exposure to such events is actually fairly common, and by the age of 16 years, more than two thirds of children will have experienced exposure to at least one traumatic event. 

Not all young people exposed to these events will develop significant psychological problems. Many young people will recover with the help of family and social support. Current research suggests that between 10-30% of young people may go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or another mental health problem. 

Common issues experienced by children and adolescents following trauma include:

·      Sleep problems

·      Irritability, anger, aggression

·      Temper tantrums, difficult and challenging behaviour in preschool aged children

·      Concentration and memory problems

·      Hyper-alertness

·      Depression

·      General anxiety, separation anxiety

·      Development of specific trauma-related fears

·      Regression in or loss of previously mastered developmental skills (e.g. speech, toileting) 

·      New fears which are not associated with the traumatic event (e.g. fear of going to the toilet alone)

·      New awareness of own mortality

·      Survivor guilt 

Signs of post-traumatic stress disorder typically become evident one month following a traumatic event (these signs are not necessarily a sign of psychological problems in the month immediately following an event):

·      Re-living the traumatic event (unwanted memories, vivid nightmares, flashbacks or intense reactions when reminded of the event, repetitive play re-enacting the event)

·      Feeling wound up (having trouble sleeping or concentrating, feeling angry or irritable, taking risks, being easily startled or constantly on the lookout for danger)

·      Avoiding reminders of the event (such as activities, places, people, thoughts or feelings that bring back memories of the trauma)

·      Having negative thoughts or feelings (such as fear, anger, guilt, or feeling flat or numb a lot of the time).

Here are some tips for providing the support your child and adolescent needs following a traumatic event:

·      Your wellbeing matters: The mental health and coping style of parents have a big influence on how well your children cope. So make sure you’re looking after yourself, seeking help if needed, and getting support.

·      Provide lots of reassurance: Again and again let your child know that they are safe, and that the traumatic event is over. 

·      Keep to old routines as much as possible: Routines provide safety, structure and consistency. Try and also be consistent in your responses and interactions with your child as well. 

·      Provide opportunities for your child to talk: About what happened, and how they’re feeling, only if they want to. 

·      Seek further support – If you notice any of the above symptoms persisting one month following the traumatic event, and/or have any concerns – talk to your GP about a referral to see a clinical psychologist. There are effective treatments available, with evidence-based therapy known to be helpful. Treatment is focused on helping the mind pull all the information together, sort through it, make sense of it and store it away in a more organised way. Therapy is also designed to teach the person skills to better manage their emotional responses. 

This content has been developed by drawing on the guidelines from Phoenix Australia: The Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health.