Survivors may also feel anxiety. Victims can also become alternately withdrawn and aggressive in the aftermath. Adults may react to traumatic events by becoming fearful and overprotective of their children. People may also feel intense anger, hurt and guilt, as well as fear that they have lost control, experts have said. Encourage them to talk openly about them, mental health professionals said yesterday.
Kids respond better when they're heard first.
Counselors say that it is common for children to react to such a situation by becoming worried that they could be harmed at a place they once considered safe. Parents should stay calm and let children talk through their concerns. If possible, parents should shield their children from traumatic news because it is frightening. But if children do hear about it from friends or on television, do not try to sweep the subject under the rug, he said. Compiled from Star-Telegram files.