ERIC Number: EJ941207
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 3
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1089-5701
EISSN: N/A
Transition after Traumatic Loss
Kuban, Caelan
Reclaiming Children and Youth, v20 n2 p40-42 2011
Children experience grief when they suffer the loss of a close relationship. When that loss also traumatizes children, they experience additional emotional reactions. It is important that adults educate themselves and others who deal with children about typical, healthy grief reactions. Following a non-violent loss, the initial reactions of denial, disbelief, shock, alarm, anger, sadness, and other emotions are very common. For most children, the intensity of reactions diminishes in about six to eight weeks, and perhaps reappears periodically over a period of two to three years. Of course, if it is not known that the child experienced a significant loss two years earlier, the behavior is often misunderstood and exacerbated by inappropriate adult responses. Thus, when a child's normal behavior changes, always consider the possibility that the child is simply reliving or returning to a previous, significant loss. This article discusses the transition after traumatic loss and how adults can help youth heal.
Descriptors: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Stress Variables, Stress Management, Trauma, Death, Adjustment (to Environment), Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Child Development, Child Psychology, Early Experience, Emotional Intelligence, Counseling Techniques
Reclaiming Children and Youth. PO Box 57 104 N Main Street, Lennox, SD 57039. Tel: 605-647-2532; Fax: 605-647-5212; e-mail: journal@reclaiming.com; Web site: http://reclaimingjournal.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A