We at CMCH were deeply saddened to hear of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. We thought it might be helpful to provide you with links to research, words of peace, and helpful resources for helping children and families cope with tragic circumstances and violent acts.
- CMCH's sister blog, Ask the Mediatrician, published a new Q&A about the shooting. Read it here. You might also want to check the posting after the Aurora, CO, shooting.
- CMCH's director, Michael Rich, MD, MPH, was one of the experts featured on 90.9 WBUR's resource list for talking about the Sandy Hook shooting. He was also on the NECN morning show to talk about the aftermath of the event.
- News shows that memberships in the National Rifle Association have grown significantly since the days of the shooting, and gun sales have spiked as well.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics stated that "we must engage in a national dialogue designed to reduce children’s detrimental exposure to violence in their communities, environments and entertainment" in an open letter to President Obama following the shooting.
- Research available in the CMCH database include experiments using relaxation techniques to cope with negative events broadcast on the news and studies on how children reacted to the September 11 tragedies depending on their news exposure. Keep in mind also that people of different cultural backgrounds react differently to stressful, sad events, and no one way of coping works for everyone.
- The AAP also noted that one of the ways to help children deal with tragedy is not to deviate from normal routines.
- Because media can be healing when used in positive ways, librarians have started the Books Heal Hearts initiative, soliciting donations of materials that can help the Newtown community deal with their great loss.
- Healthy Children has an article on how to talk to children about the tragedy.
We extend our deepest sympathies and support to those affected by this tragic event.
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