Psychologist: Fear, anxiety after mass shooting are 'normal reactions to abnormal situation'

The scenes of children running and parents searching frantically have become familiar, but the trauma doesn’t end when the children and parents are reunited.

“It’s difficult to manage anxiety when one does not feel safe in what ought to be a safe environment,” said Durham psychologist Dr. Perrianne Davis.

Davis said witnessing and experiencing events like a school shooting have psychological consequences on children of all ages.

“Any sorts of fears and anxieties are indeed normal reactions to a very abnormal situation,” she said.

The headlines, news and videos of tragic events are pervasive and can often induce fear and anxiety.

“Sometimes, for children, we don’t know how to make sense of all the information that’s coming in and particularly when all of the information that’s coming in is frightening, fearful and violent,” Davis said.

Davis suggests that parents question their children in regards to what they know about a tragic event to better understand what they have been exposed to. Parents should also share their feelings about the event in a language children can understand.

“This is difficult for all of us but, while it’s difficult for all of us, as the adult, I’m going to protect you as best as I know how,” Davis said.

Davis said a common misconception is that it is best to avoid the conversation to decrease anxiety, but that could actually leave a child in the dark about how a parent feels or what is acceptable to feel.