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A thread on children's exposure to media about traumatic events & talking to kids about traumatic events following the events at the US Capitol
@AZelechoski @Momademia @PandemicParent @lindy2350 @mothersinsci 1/13
@AZelechoski @Momademia @PandemicParent @lindy2350 @mothersinsci 1/13
Much of what I'm going to share is based on research from Dr. Jon Comer @FIUCCF, my friend and collaborator on our ongoing longitudinal study on talking to kids about COVID19. https://news.fiu.edu/2020/watching-smart,-avoiding-news-overload-in-the-time-of-coronavirus 2/13
1) Don't avoid talking about the topic. After the Boston Marathon bombing, Carpenter et al. (2017) found Boston-area children whose caregivers did NOT discuss the bombing and associated manhunt with them or asked others to avoid discussing the events in front of them showed 3/13
more posttraumatic stress symptoms than children whose caregivers did not foster such avoidant family communication. (This effect was moderated by child age). Avoiding difficult topics is not encouraged. I was honestly shocked by how much my 5yo "got it" last night. 4/13
2) Encourage your kids to talk using open-ended questions. Find out what they already know. (Tell me what you think...Tell me what you have heard...). Don't assume you know how they feel & lead them (e.g., Are you scared?) 5/13
3) Encourage your kids to ask you questions. Check in with them & remind them that you're available. Answer their questions in a developmentally appropriate way & don't give them more information than they need. Just answer the questions. 6/13
But remember that you don't have to have all the answers in the moment. It's okay to say, "I really don't know. Let me think about that one a bit and get back to you." Offering to come back to it later is better than shutting the conversation (& your child) down. 7/13
4) Limit children's exposure to news and other media coverage - even just having the TV on "in the background." Prior research shows how news media exposure re a crisis/disaster is related to adverse mental health outcomes in youth (e.g., Comer et al., 2008, 2014, 2016). 8/13
Comer et. al's research showed, for example, that viewing excessive TV coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing was associated w/ PTSD symptoms, conduct problems, & other difficulties in kids. Correlational of course but ...9/13
These findings and others suggest that *indirect* contact with traumatic events, terrorism, etc via media exposure is an important consideration for parents - children need not have direct exposure to feel the effects. 10/13
"Despite needs for live information during disasters, increasing evidence suggests parents should minimize children’s media-based exposure to whatever extent possible." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4067642/ 11/13
Viewing repetitive, graphic images, especially without parent input, is not necessary to be "up to date" on news & is associated with negative mental health outcomes in kids. 12/13
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network @nctsn has numerous amazing resources for talking to kids in times like these. 13/13
