By Stacey Steinberg
Children may be processing the disruptions in their lives right now in ways the adults around them do not expect: acting out, regressing, retreating or even seeming surprisingly content. Parents need to know that all of this is normal, experts say, and there are some things we can do to help.
“Our natural response to scary things is biologically to release stress hormones,” said Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, a pediatrician and surgeon general of the state of California, and the author of “The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity.” The release of stress hormones activates our fight or flight response. Our bodies, in responding with the release of stress hormones, are doing exactly what they should be doing.
But in some cases, exposure to stressful events — which right now might include the absence of routines, a parent’s job loss and economic hardship, or the serious illness or death of someone a child cares about — can leave children feeling traumatized.
Share This Post!
13 Million Children Face Hunger Every Day – and the Problem is Worse During the Summer
By Move For Hunger There are 13 million children in America who don’t know where their next meal will come from. Throughout the school year, many participate in programs that provide [...]
Sexual Abuse of Children at Camp is an Epidemic:
By Mick S. Grewal Sexual abuse by camp counselors is a national epidemic, according to various organizations, including Crime Stoppers. Every year, nearly 10 million children attend summer camp. In 2018, CBS [...]
Trends in U.S. Emergency Department Visits Related to Suspected or Confirmed Child Abuse and Neglect Among Children and Adolescents Aged <18 Years Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, January 2019–September 2020
By The C.D.C. Heightened stress, school closures, loss of income, and social isolation resulting from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have increased the risk for child abuse and neglect (1). [...]
Behind the Term: Trauma
By U.C. Berkeley The term “trauma” can mean different things, depending on the context. Semantically, trauma refers to an experience or event; nevertheless, people use the term interchangeably to refer to either [...]
Ukrainian refugees in Poland get help for trauma you can’t see — mental health
By Dana Bash and Abbie Sharpe, CNN Warsaw, Poland (CNN)Eight-year-old Yana was going to gymnastics class six days a week at home near Odessa, Ukraine. Now, she can only practice by [...]
Mental health effects of Ukraine war zone on children
By Mary Kekatos As the Russian invasion of Ukraine intensifies, children are experiencing devastating consequences of being caught up in the war zone. At least seven children have been killed, according to United Nations [...]