Grief Reactions in School Age Children Following A Sniper Attack At School (From In Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society; Vol 1, Psychodynamics, P 29-41, 1988, E Schigier, ed.)

• NCJ Number: 114766
• Author(s): R S Pynoos; K Nader; C Frederick; L Gonda; M Stuber
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

In a 1985, 1-year followup study of elementary school children who had experienced a sniper attack on the school playground, a childhood grief inventory was developed to investigate the frequency of responses among the student body.

Abstract

Data were collected for a stratified random sample of 251 Black and Hispanic school children, 6 to 13 years old. Results indicate that grief reactions in children are similar to those found in adults. Even 1 year following the killing of the schoolmate, 21 percent of children reported feeling angry, 15 percent had changed games, and 15 percent did not believe the schoolmate was dead. There were significant linear trends for each of eight grief reactions assessed both for increasing acquaintance with the deceased and for increasing exposure to the violence. Interview data convey the clinical impression that school-age children are confused, frightened, and disturbed by their normal grief reactions. Many of the children reported they had never spoken to anyone about their grief responses and had to endure them without sufficient support from family, friends, or teachers. There also was evidence for an independence and an interplay of grief and post-traumatic stress reactions. 6 tables and 26 references. (Author abstract modified)