A child's reaction also depends on how much destruction he or she sees during and after the disaster. If a friend or family member has been killed or seriously injured, or if the child's school or home has been severely damaged, there is a greater chance that the child will experience difficulties. A child's age affects how the child will respond to the disaster. It is important to explain the event in words the child can understand. Children with this disorder have repeated episodes in which they re-experience the traumatic event.
Children often relive the trauma through repetitive play.
In young children, distressing dreams of the traumatic event may change into nightmares of monsters, of rescuing others or of threats to self or others. PTSD rarely appears during the trauma itself. Though its symptoms can occur soon after the event, the disorder often surfaces several months or even years later. Parents who are concerned about their children can ask their pediatrician or family doctor to refer them to a child and adolescent psychiatrist. Free distribution of single Facts sheets is a public service made possible by the Academy Endowment Fund.