By A. Noelle

We still do not know who did this or why; we still don’t have all the facts. We will get to the bottom of this. We will find out who did this, and we will find out why they did this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice.

This statement was given by President Barack Obama shortly after the Boston Marathon bombings on Monday afternoon, which claimed the lives of three victims, including an 8-year-old boy who was waiting for his father to finish the race (HealthDay News), and injured more than 140 others.

Among the injured spectators and runners, some had severed limbs and many others suffered shrapnel wounds, burns, fractures, and damaged eardrums from shockwaves of the two explosions that occurred near the famed race’s finish line. According to the Boston Globe, at least 10 of the wounded were children—some as young as 2. Dr. David P. Mooney, director of the trauma program at Boston Children’s Hospital, said in an interview that the most seriously injured children had BBs and nails embedded in their bodies as a result of the blasts.

In the aftermath of the bombings, director of child/adolescent psychiatry at North Shore-LIJ Health System in New Hyde Park, NY Dr. Victor Fornari claimed that the psychological impact could be severe: “Families of those impacted, as well as witnesses of the horror, may require support and psychological First Aid.”

Resources for Aunts

Young nieces and nephews may struggle with how to cope or manage their distress over this national tragedy, looking to Auntie for guidance. For information on how to help children cope with traumatic events, we are linking directly to the following resources:

-A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope from the National Association of School Psychologists
-Helping your children manage distress in the aftermath of a shooting from the American Psychological Association
-CDC: Coping With Stress

Published: April 16, 2013