Expert: Disaster images may be too much for kids, adults

There are few people who will not admit that they reacted differently during storms that swept through the Jefferson City area on Wednesday.

Jacqueline Henry, Ph.D., psychologist with St. Mary's Health Psychology said after seeing the images of Joplin, she is not surprised there is an overall enhanced fear of storms and the damage they can do to homes and lives.

"The more you can identify with a particular area, the more fear is going to arise," Henry said, noting that our fears are elevated since Joplin is in relatively close proximity to us.

Not only does the close physical location make the images more haunting, so does the constant bombardment from the media of the devastating images, which Henry said some find hard to turn away from.

Henry said there is research that shows the more a person allows themself to view images, the more likely they are to experience stress and or anxiety about the event, even if they are not directly affected. Henry said that is another reason why the amount of news children watch should be monitored.

"Watch the news with your children, do not just have it on. Watch it with them and explain to them what is going on," she said. "This was one single event and children may think it happens over and over. Put news in context that there are things in place to help avoid disaster and focus on rescue teams and what is being done to help."

Just turning off the TV may not be enough. Henry said Internet coverage makes it easily accessible at any time, and to anyone, including children who may get more information than they can understand.

  1. Florida (21-2) beat Tennessee 94-78. Next: at Georgia, Wednesday.
  2. Wisconsin (22-2) beat Northwestern 69-52. Next: at Penn State, Wednesday.
  3. North Carolina (20-3) lost to N.C. State 83-79. Next: at No. 8 Duke, Wednesday.
  4. Ohio State (20-3) beat Michigan State 63-54. Next: vs. Michigan, Tuesday.
  5. UCLA (20-2) beat Oregon State 82-35. Next: vs. Southern California, Wednesday.
  6. Kansas (19-3) vs. No. 10 Texas A&M. Next: vs. Kansas State, Wednesday.
  7. Pittsburgh (20-3) did not play. Next: at West Virginia, Wednesday.
  8. Duke (18-4) did not play. Next: vs. Florida State, Sunday.
  9. Oregon (19-4) lost to Southern California 71-68. Next: vs. Arizona State, Thursday.
  10. Texas A&M (18-3) at No. 6 Kansas. Next: vs. No. 22 Texas, Monday.
  11. Memphis (19-3) beat SMU 88-52. Next: at UAB, Thursday.
  12. Oklahoma State (18-4) lost to Colorado 89-77. Next: at Oklahoma, Wednesday.
  13. Butler (22-2) beat Wisconsin-Milwaukee 66-47. Next: at Cleveland State, Thursday.
  14. Marquette (20-4) beat Providence 69-62. Next: vs. Rutgers, Wednesday.
  15. Nevada (20-2) vs. Hawaii. Next: at Fresno State, Thursday.
  16. Virginia Tech (16-7) lost to Boston College 80-59. Next: vs. Virginia, Saturday.
  17. Air Force (20-3) beat Wyoming 88-43. Next: at San Diego State, Tuesday.
  18. Washington State (18-4) at Arizona State. Next: vs. No. 23 Stanford, Thursday.
  19. Alabama (17-5) beat South Carolina 64-61. Next: vs. Mississippi State, Wednesday.
  20. Arizona (15-7) beat Washington 84-54. Next: at Arizona State, Thursday.
  21. Notre Dame (18-4) at South Florida. Next: at DePaul, Thursday.
  22. Texas (16-6) lost to Kansas State 73-72. Next: at No. 10 Texas A&M, Saturday.
  23. Stanford (14-6) at California. Next: at No. 18 Washington State, Thursday.
  24. Vanderbilt (15-7) vs. Georgia. Next: at Tennessee, Saturday.
  25. Clemson (18-5) lost to Georgia Tech 80-62. Next: vs. Florida State, Wednesday.

Even adults need to limit their exposure to the images if they notice they are anxious or stressed. Henry said feelings of helplessness are also an indicator to try to avoid images.