Instead of the normal barrage of questions regarding the menu for dinner, I was struck with a very different visual as I entered my home one evening. I opened the door from the garage only to see my 7 year-old daughter kneeling in front of her father in a prayer position. I gave a curious glance to my husband, stood perfectly still and just watched her momentarily. Apparently, she had overheard my husband say that he was going to Ferguson to join the protesters (this was a few days following the death of Mike Brown) and she was frightened that something would happen to him. Therefore, she felt it was best just to pray for his safety.
There are so many things wrong with this picture. The fact that an unarmed teen was shot and killed and that a young child was aware of all the commotion in our community from such an atrocity is wrong on so many levels. For my child, she was only getting bits and pieces of information from the television and from secretly listening her father’s calls. What about those children who lived in Ferguson, particularly on or near West Florissant? What about the children who lived in the Canfield Apartments? What about those vivid pictures of the teenagers who were tear-gassed as they were leaving McDonald’s?
I have spoken with parents of some of these children and the parents have already begun to observe nightmares or alterations in the child’s normal sleeping pattern. One mother told me that protesters have actually been on her lawn so her children hear this noise constantly outside of their bedroom windows. I can only imagine the ramifications of these inappropriate life situations on their fragile, developing minds.
As I sit and listen to the political pundits argue back and forth on the details of the various cases, I ask myself if these individuals consider the thousands of children who have to live in the neighborhoods affected, the children who walk past the places where the Browns and the Garners have died, and the children related to the deceased in question? Are we so caught up in the heat of the moment that we have not taken time to anticipate the negative mental sequelae from these events?
Most people think of trauma in terms of physical harm but psychological trauma can be just as painful, stressful and life threatening. Witnessing distressing events such as the September 11, 2011 terrorist attack, Hurricane Katrina, gang violence, and definitely the recent police shootings of unarmed men and young boys are all examples of horrific occurrences that can cause psychological trauma. Trauma threatens the witness’ sense of security and safety.
How children react to trauma can be immediate or delayed. A prior history of mental illness may affect the type of response children display. Lack of family support and a prior history of traumatic events are other situations that may heighten the type of response exhibited by children.
It is also important to remember that children’s response to trauma may be affected by the parent’s response as well. For example, the Michael Brown case provides an excellent illustration of that. For most African American households, there is an undercurrent of terror every time their sons are behind the wheel of a car. Will this teen be pulled over, will they be beaten, will they be killed? That sense of anxiety is also felt by the teens. Many parents have expressed to me how their sons often ask why do I always get pulled over and not my friends? What have I done?
Other factors such as age can affect the response as well. For example, an eight year old may resort back to infant behaviors such as thumb sucking or bed-wetting. A tween may have academic troubles or get involved in multiple altercations. I’ve personally seen troubled teens initiate drug or alcohol use or become sexually promiscuous.
Silence can also be a sign of psychological trauma. Therefore, a sudden change in behavior in a child should be an early cry for immediate help. Maya Angelou in her famous book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings shares her story of sexual abuse as a child and how she stopped talking for an extended period of time after she found out the man who had violated her had been killed. She believe her voice had murdered him.
So for me, the point of all of this is that our children are not immune to this current tense climate in our communities. The time for discussion and therapy is now. Listen to your children and allow them to express their feelings. For additional information, visit the National Child Traumatic Stress Network at www.nctsn.org.
Yours in Service,
Denise Hooks-Anderson, M.D.
Assistant Professor
SLUCare Family Medicine
yourhealthmatters@stlamerican.com
