1. Nightmares or intrusive thoughts:
Nightmares are common after a traumatic event. Intrusive thoughts are unwanted thoughts that pop into your head and can be very upsetting.
2. Avoiding reminders of the event:
Some children may avoid anything that reminds them of the traumatic event. This may include people, places, or things.
3. Hyperarousal or feeling constantly on edge:
Children may feel constantly on edge after a traumatic event. This may be because they are hypervigilant, meaning they are always on the lookout for danger.
4. Feeling numb or detached from others:
Some children may feel numb or detached from others after a traumatic event. This may be because they do not want to feel the pain of the event again.
5. Difficulty concentrating:
Children may have difficulty concentrating after a traumatic event. This may be because they are trying to process what happened to them.
6. Poor attention span:
Children may have a poor attention span after a traumatic event. This may be because they are not interested in anything else but what happened to them.
7. Flashbacks to the event:
Flashbacks are memories of the traumatic event that come back to you suddenly. They can be very distressing and can feel like you are actually reliving the event again.
8. Physical symptoms:
Children may experience physical symptoms after a traumatic event such as headaches, stomach aches, or dizziness.
9. Problems sleeping:
Children may have problems sleeping after a traumatic event. This is often because they are not able to stop thinking about what happened to them or they are afraid of going to sleep in case they have another nightmare .
10. Emotional problems:
Children often experience emotional problems after a traumatic event such as sadness, anger, guilt, or shame.