Coping and Overcoming

STRESS Stress is an external or internal influences

that disrupt an individual’s normal state

of well being.

During Late childhood, school increasingly becomes a source of stress.

Stressors– in the form of homework, tests, grades and comparison with others.

stress related to peer relationships.

Stress also may be produced when people move to different culture.

Acculturative – a type of stress associated with marking a transition from one culture to another.

Community violence is a major source of stress for many children.

Positive Stress: results from adverse

experiences that are short-lived.

Tolerable Stress: refers to adverse

experiences that are more intense but

still relatively short-lived.

Toxic Stress: results from intense adverse

experiences that may sustained over a

long period of time—weeks, months or

even years.

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS

• Decreased appetite, other changes in eating habits.

• Headache

• Bedwetting

• Nightmares

• Sleep disturbances

• stuttering

EMOTIONAL or BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS

• Anxiety

• Worries

• Inability to relax

• Fears

• Clinging, unwilling to let you go

• Anger

• Crying

• Inability to control emotions

• Aggressive behaviors

• Stubborn

COPING SKILLS

Emotion-focused coping strategies

- Efforts to manage or reduce the

emotional distress that is aroused in

stressful situation.

Problem-focused coping strategies

- Efforts to manage or modify the source

of the stressful situations, such as finding

a solution to the problem.

When a child gets upset

because his bicycle is broken ..

Helping children cope with

disaster. Whatever the child’s age or relationship to damage

caused by the disaster, its important that you’ll be open about the consequences for your family and that you encourage the child to talk about it.

Children may complain of stomachaches or headaches and he is reluctant to go to school. It is important to remember that these children are not “being bad”

School-age children may ask many questions about the disaster. Be careful about providing false assurances.

Remind children that disasters are very rare.

Do not be afraid to say “I don’t know”, to some of the questions children will have.

RESILIENCE

Stress – Resistant Children

The capacity to bounce back or

recover from a stressful situations.

Resilience reflects healthy functioning

despite exposure to stressful events.

Resilient children:

Exhibit above-average intelligence.

Posses attractive qualities that elicit

positive responses in others.

Have a positive place in the family.