A disaster or emergency can make your child or teen feel insecure, scared, or confused. As a parent or caregiver, you can’t always control stressful situations. But you can control how you REACT to it.

Respond. How you respond to a stressful event affects how your child reacts. Reacting in calm and productive ways will model good coping skills. For example, talk about things calmly, take care of yourself, and solve the problems that you can. These actions will help your child feel calmer and cope better.

Eat at regular times and drink water throughout the day. This gives your body the energy and nutrients it needs to cope in stressful situations. Take time to eat meals with your children, friends, and family. Sharing a meal can increase you and your child’s sense of belonging and connection with others.

Activity. Physical activity, like going for a walk outside, dancing, or skipping, is a good way to connect with your child. Activity can help lower their anxiety and stress.

Connect with other caregivers, families, and peers in the community. This can help you and your child respond and cope better with a disaster. Find ways to help others when you can and accept help from others when you need it.

Talk. Let your child know it’s OK to talk about what’s going on. When they ask questions, listen without interrupting. Answer honestly at a level they can understand. For example, “there’s a fire near our town. People are working hard to put it out. We’re safe and far away from it.” If you don’t know an answer to their question, it’s OK to say that.

Stress and disasters

Children and teens react differently to stress depending on their age and development.

Children react to disasters and emergencies differently than adults do. Any change in a child’s environment or routine can make them feel insecure, scared, or confused. It’s common for children and teens to experience stress during and after a disaster.

Children under 5 years might:

• go back to doing things like they did when younger
• be afraid of strangers, animals, or monsters
• have changes in sleep patterns such as sleep more or sleep less
• have trouble falling asleep on their own
• start having nightmares
• cry more than usual
• change their eating habits
• complain about aches or pains
• become confused easily
• want to be held more or cling to caregivers
• have trouble talking, for example may start stuttering

Children 6 to 12 years might:

• return to things they did when they were younger
• have trouble falling or staying asleep, or be scared to sleep alone
• have trouble concentrating
• complain of a headache or stomachache without an obvious cause
• be more aggressive or withdrawn
• ask about spiritual beliefs
• have trouble with any medical problems such as diabetes

Children 13 years to 18 years might:

• have trouble sleeping, like sleeping too much or too little
• complain of aches and pains, headaches, stomachaches, or bowel problems
• get sad or depressed
• become withdrawn or quiet
• act out or show aggressive behaviour​
• have trouble with school or not wanting to go to school
• ask about spiritual beliefs
• feel guilty about surviving (if people have been hurt or have died)
• have trouble with existing medical problems such as diabetes

All children are different. Some children might have symptoms of stress right after a disaster or emergency. Others may take weeks to have symptoms. Some children don’t have any symptoms at all.

With care, attention, and understanding from parents and caregivers, symptoms of stress often go away on their own. If these symptoms don’t go away, your child might need to see a healthcare provider. If you aren’t sure how to support your child or teen, get support from a trusted friend or mental health professional.

The Media

Although you need to stay informed, seeing or hearing information about a disaster or emergency over and over can cause more stress. A child or teen might have an emotional or behavioral reaction because they don’t fully understand the event. A child or teen’s level of understanding and ways of coping will be different at different ages.

• Limit exposure to distressing images, TV, or radio reports.
• Watch or listen to reports on disasters or emergencies with your child or teen.
• Afterwards, talk about what was seen and heard. Your child will need your guidance and reassurance.