Anxiety caused by imposed war in children (a sincere talk with parents)

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10 July 1404 Writings Art therapy, children's anxiety, imposed war, child psychologist

In the name of God Dear fathers and mothers, Our Islamic Iran, Yusufvar, has always been, is and will be the envy of our enemies. Therefore, the wars imposed on this land are neither twelve days nor eight years... but they are continuous. It should not be thought that the war with the Zionist regime and America is a fleeting event. Considering this incident as fleeting may cause the wrong impression that information about it can be kept secret from children. In recent days, children have faced this crisis whether they like it or not and now they need "information-oriented support" more than any kind of support. It is true that they always need the material, spiritual and emotional support of their parents, but sometimes more than all this, they need to "know". Any deliberate concealment, minimization of the problem, or distortion of reality will not remain far from the conscious psyche of children, and the resulting consequences will only be increasing distrust, ambiguity, and anxiety. In general, there are three steps to providing information-based (age-appropriate) support: The first step is to "assess the amount of current information the child has about the crisis or issue"; The second step is to "discover the child's level of anxiety about that crisis or problem"; And The third step is "presenting correct and sufficient information through attractive arts for children". Since children's vocabulary is not complete, it is not enough to hear their complaints or talk. Pay attention to the signs. The presence of signs of worry or fear in children's nightmares, questions, drawings, shows and games means that their anxiety is serious or their information is incomplete. If you see these signs, it is better to consult a child psychologist, but if it is not possible to get advice, provide him with real information but appropriate to the child's age with interesting artistic tools (for children), including painting, drama, puppetry, and storytelling. For example, if your child is afraid of the loud noises caused by the air defense, instead of saying things like "it's nothing", "it's a firecracker" and the like, show him in a pretend play that a bad doll fights with a good doll and because the bad doll doesn't know how to be kind, it keeps throwing dangerous objects and this throwing of objects leads to noise. In this way, nothing is hidden, no lies are told, and a big issue like war is never minimized. Instead, puppets help make it more acceptable. At the same time, the worried parent becomes the parent of the storyteller or dramatist and not only soothes their child, but they also come closer to relaxation. I have no doubt that dear parents in my great country, all benefit from a lot of creativity that helps them in useful artistic creations to provide useful information to their children. Academic faculty member of Tehran University Psychology Department