How Are Children Affected by Major Disasters such as Earthquakes?

Considering that every child is unique, I can say that the responses to earthquakes vary from person to person. For some children, they may not react as they are not traumatized. However, most of the children in any period of life can experience the feelings of fear, horror and helplessness caused by natural disasters. In addition to such symptoms, after the earthquake, the children had "The world is a safe place." can create a “feeling of insecurity” in the perception of However, due to their developmental level and inadequate life experiences, children may interpret natural disasters differently from adults and develop some different reactions. Trauma experienced due to natural disasters is different from the stress period encountered in childhood. It is not possible for the child to prepare mentally or physically for the event. For the child, this perceived situation creates a sense of dread of the unusual and the unknown. Even after a long period of trauma, certain lights, sounds, smells, and even flavors can effectively remind us of this experience. Even a slight noise can act as a trigger, causing the child to remember the entire traumatic experience. Sometimes this can be triggered even when the child is dealing with something he loves. The triggering factors seen after trauma are not limited to fear and anxiety. In a study conducted on children after the 1988 Armenian earthquake, it was determined that children were afraid of vibration, a new earthquake, darkness, loneliness, death, strangers and animals.

What are the problems they experience unlike adults?

The natural disaster experienced may separate the child from their parents for a while. This separation can cause the child to worry and feel vulnerable. For this reason, the child may be afraid that this event may happen again and this time he will not be able to find his family. After trauma from a natural disaster, a young child may not be concerned about where and how his next nutritional needs will come from, but may worry about losing his favorite toy. Triggering memories freeze visual and sensory information like a photo frame and place it in the past image. Children may not always be able to verbalize these memories due to age and environment. can. These memories can emerge in various ways in children's play, in their reactions to events or people related to the trauma. Of course, we can say that the child may react differently according to different age periods. Some children may ask frequent questions and repeat their games. We can see regression in acquired skills. Like bed wetting, thumb sucking. They may wish to be with their parents all the time. They may experience difficulties in attention, focus, appetite, and sleep. In children who experience this process very intensely; situations such as re-enacting the scenes related to the trauma, exhibiting avoidance behaviors, hyperactivity or vice versa, exhibiting introverted behaviors, being constantly alert, and being stuck in horror games can be observed. In such a situation, it is very important to get expert support.

What would you recommend to volunteers and staff working in the earthquake area regarding the approach to earthquake victims?

Actually, it is a frequently asked question and the answer is variable. Because while the answer depends on the child's own characteristics such as age, capacity and psychological endurance, on the other hand, it differs greatly according to the earthquake experience, such as where and how the earthquake was experienced and how much it was affected. In fact, it varies according to the various combinations of what we have counted. Two children with similar characteristics may experience very different effects even in the same earthquake experience. If a child is traumatized and requires treatment, someone else can handle it much less easily. So, like every child, the earthquake experience is unique. Each sample should be evaluated on its own. As there are no panacea formulas, we cannot say that every child who experiences an earthquake will be traumatized. Therefore, I would like to state that we are talking about general truths here. It is closely related to the quantity, quality, severity, duration, age, gender, personality structure and the environmental conditions in which one lives. The understanding and sharing of the disaster and pain experienced by the child by the family and school, which are two important institutions in his social environment, The support, solidarity and help he receives are extremely important in coping with what he has been through and continuing his life. It is very important to listen to children and acknowledge their feelings. Children may have many questions and concerns after an earthquake. When communicating with children; There is nothing, there is nothing, don't be afraid, calm down' should be avoided. What is happening should be explained simply to the child, and the situation should be explained in short and concrete terms. It is important to encourage children to express their feelings through art, music or other creative activities so that they can express their feelings.

This process was also very difficult for children who experienced the earthquake as a secondary What should be the approach to children who are not primarily exposed to the earthquake? Children exposed to secondary trauma may experience similar symptoms as children exposed to primary trauma. Emotions such as anxiety, fear, helplessness and unhappiness predominate. If a child is too much affected by the news he watches, hears, or by intense emotions that his parents cannot control, he may not be in a position to listen to rational and verbal explanations from adults. At this point, the first thing that can be done is “to contact the child as much as he allows.” Hugging, touching his shoulder, maybe holding hands, looking into the child's distance and looking into his eyes, a compassionate tone of voice like I am here, I am with you and we are safe right now, will help him regulate his feeling of being with him with short and clear expressions, and help him cope with his anxiety. I see that he is very afraid. Parents should be able to show them that they understand their children's feelings by making sentences such as “This situation makes you feel unhappy”. Here, it can be more effective to open up their own feelings to children with plain and simple expressions like “I was also scared and very surprised”. The main point to be considered here is that it is not necessary to say the words that cannot be kept to the child, such as "This will never happen again", because children When an earthquake occurs again, they may feel insecure and angry with their parents. Another important point is to be able to continue with the routines at home. Children take their parents as role models. If the mother and father can continue with their routines and the situation at home is stable, the child will be able to adapt more easily, especially in such cases, children should not be disturbed by their routines such as eating and sleeping, especially during the transition to sleep, children can be given emotional support by reading healing stories.