Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Children Who See Too Much

2003; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 24; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1097/00004703-200302000-00017

1536-7312

Jean E. Twomey,

Children Who See Too Much by Betsy McAlister Groves Boston, MA, Beacon Press, 2002, 161 pp, $24.00. The depth and scope of Children Who See Too Much far exceeds the amount of information one would expect from this book’s deceptively thin appearance. Groves succinctly and thoughtfully tackles the complex issues associated with young children’s exposure to violence. For the past decade the author has been a part of the Child Witness to Violence Project, which provides clinical services to children 8 years old and younger whose lives have been affected by violence. Groves eloquently describes the experiences of the children and their families with whom she has worked to convey the impact that witnessing traumatic events has had on their lives and the efforts that are required for them to cope with the fears and changes brought about by these events. This book skillfully interweaves discussion of the broader societal influences that contribute to violence in the lives of so many young children with the intimate consequences of violence as illustrated by vignettes from her clinical work. Groves identifies the costs of exposure to violence during childhood as being exacted in terms of the child’s internal world, relationships with adults, and cognitive development. Physiological consequences may arise as a result of the child being in a prolonged state of hypervigilance. The child’s developmental stage is recognized as pivotal to informing a child’s interpretation of a violent event and is a key consideration in determining how best to shape the work of helping a child to cope with fears and anxieties. Relationships with adults that help the child to feel cared for, provide the child with a sense of security and predictability, and allow the child to talk about and try to make sense of traumatic events are identified as the basic foundation for helping young children. Both parents and professionals who want to be resources for children whose lives have been affected by violence can apply these utilitarian fundamentals. The contexts that define and shape the child’s world (family, school, neighborhood, and our larger society) are acknowledged throughout the text as having the potential for helping the child to cope and heal, as well as for being the arenas in which acts of violence are played out. These institutions must play a part in creating a safer world for children and address the issues that make our current world unsafe. Groves provides examples of innovative, inspiring programs developed by communities committed to taking action to educate, identify, and intervene to decrease the potential for violence in the lives of children and their families and to provide services when violence does occur. This book’s focus on the impact of frightening events on young children seems particularly germane as our nation attempts to cope with the first-year anniversary of the tragic events of September 11th. An appendix in the book that provides parents with information about how to talk to their children about terrorism is a daunting indicator of how our lives have been affected by last year’s terrorist attacks. Children in this country now have become a part of the ever-increasing number of children worldwide exposed to random acts of violence associated with political, religious, and global strife. Groves’s contribution is that she makes us squarely face the fact that many children become acquainted with violence at an early age and are profoundly affected by their experiences. At the same time she provides information on how to help these children, recognizing that a wide range of adults can play important roles in enhancing a child’s sense of well being. To ultimately help children, Groves concludes that actions need to be taken on individual, community, and national levels to decrease violence in our society, and she identifies concrete measures that can be taken towards that end. Although addressing a topic that has the potential to overwhelm and dishearten, Groves leaves the reader with a sense of hope that creating a safer world for our children may not be entirely beyond our reach.