Talking to kids about incidents of mass violence is better for their mental health, experts say [www.sandiegouniontribune.com]

The most recent string of mass shootings across the country — from a grocery store in New York, a church in California and an elementary school in Texas, to a graduation party in South Carolina and a strip mall in Arizona — can leave people feeling especially anxious and fearful about their safety in places typically believed to be safe, including young children and teens who can be particularly vulnerable.

“When we think about mass violence (specifically, school shootings), we have what we call an assumptive worldview that says that ‘when I go to school, I will come home from school,’ ” says Robin Gurwitch, a psychologist and professor at Duke University Medical Center who has studied the impact of mass violence, large-scale disasters and other terrorist events on children and families since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. “Students, parents and teachers have that worldview, so when a school shooting happens, it turns that assumptive worldview upside down, and it undermines our sense of safety, sense of security. We are thrown for a loop to figure out what happens next. How do we take steps forward after such a horrific tragedy?”

Gurwitch, who is also a senior adviser for the terrorism and disaster program of the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, is joined here in conversation by Lynn Bufka, a licensed psychologist and staff member of the American Psychological Association whose expertise is in stress and anxiety, and managing difficult situations. They took some time to talk about how direct and indirect exposure of events of mass violence can affect children and teens, and what adults can do to help young people work through any challenges to their mental health. (These interviews have been edited for length and clarity. )

[Please click here to continue reading.]