| In recent years, the fears of war and terrorist attacks have become common among children across all cultures. Acts of terrorism convey specific kinds of fears: that the world is unsafe, that even a caregiver cannot protect the child and that people whom the child has never met want to target and hurt him. Young children, such as preschoolers, rely on caregivers as their support system to mediate their posttraumatic symptoms after a traumatic event. Because the threat of terror affects the family as a whole, the importance of the attachment relationship between the parent and the child can play an important role in building resiliency.;The goal of this dissertation was to provide information about posttraumatic stress symptoms in children, and the effect such symptoms have on children's development. It also focused on the attachment relationship as a key factor in building resilience and helping the child overcome his symptoms. Other topics that were reviewed included evidence-based interventions for traumatized children that are found to be the most beneficial for this population. Further, bibliotherapy as an effective intervention for young children was discussed and, finally, in order to gain a better understanding of the available resources for younger children, books in the field of trauma were evaluated.;Due to the lack of children's books that deal with the fear of terrorist attacks, and the important role of the caregiver and the attachment relationship for the child's recovery from this potentially traumatic event, an interactive parent-child book was created. The book incorporates evidence-based components from various cognitive-behavioral approaches that are found to be most helpful in reducing the posttraumatic symptoms of this population, as well as activities for both the parent and the child that will enhance the parent-child relationship. It is hoped that this therapeutic book can be a source for the parent and the child to refer to in times of everyday stress and fear of terror, as well as a tool to reduce symptoms in the aftermath of terrorist acts. |
