Children's Reaction to Trauma

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In these uncertain times, tragedy can strike unexpectedly.  When it does, the impact on the lives of children can be significant.  We hope the attached brochure, Children's Reaction to Trauma (PDF file or text document), can serve as a guideline for helping a child through a difficult time.   The brochure breaks down reactions to trauma by age groups and contains a section on helping children understand death and the grieving process.

The brochure was developed by the Department of State’s Office of Casualty Assistance which provides on-going support to U.S. Government employees and their family members serving at embassies and consulates abroad and Department of State employees in the United States who are victims of terrorist, mass casualty, or other critical incidents. The contact information contained in the brochure is only for these families.

We hope that the information contained in the brochure will help parents and teachers prepare for unexpected trauma, since the response of parents and other adults strongly influences how children respond to an event.