“I could not sleep well since last night as I have been seeing images of black shoes and pointed guns in my dreams. I was rescued by forces. I was in the classroom when we heard huge shots. I ran out and hid myself in the bathroom. Later I came to know that two of my classmates were shot dead by terrorists. I am shocked why they targeted our school,” said Arsalan Khan, 14, a student of Army Public School and College.

The deadly attack on Army Public School and College, Warsak Road on Tuesday left scores of children dead and many others seriously injured.

A number of parents also complained of their children suffering from psychological trauma and insomnia following the gruesome attack on innocent schoolchildren.

“My ninth grader daughter Aleena Shahryar has refused to attend her school located on Warsak Road, though her school is far away from the ill-fated Army Public School. She will miss her detention examination. She continuously cried and could not sleep even a wink the whole night. She is still shivering. We want to take her to a city hospital but she resists it too,” Shazia Shehryar, a mother of three, told Dawn.

More than 20 schools including a private medical college are situated on Warsak Road, Peshawar with either no or little security arrangement. About 15,000 girl and boy students read in these educational institutions. About less than half of them reside at either private commercial plazas or rented houses, turned into hostels owing to lack of business activities and sprawling private schools on the road. Warsak Road remains busy and gets choked during school hours due to long queues of school buses.

Schoolchildren need detailed sessions on trauma so that they can be made aware of occurrence of such tragic incidents around them, says Dr Ghairat Khan Afridi

Schoolchildren whose activities outside their schools have been restricted due to law and order situation in and around Peshawar for the last few years. Many schools have stopped one-day trip for students for fear of untoward incident while students are also not allowed to enjoy inter-school sports competitions.

“Students in schools around Peshawar are already under stress as they have no space for sports or cultural activities. The one-day excursion is no more part of any school programme. Parents are also reluctant to allow their wards to participate in any activity outside their schools. Terrorist attacks, hectic study sessions and examinations add to worries of children,” said Rahmat Khan, a senior teacher.

TV channel visuals, social and print media showing gory details of the tragic also adversely affect young impressionistic minds of the teenagers. According to experts, tragic incidents, whether natural or man-made, affect people of all ages but children and women are the most vulnerable segment to receive effects of trauma higher than adult and men.

“The Post Trauma Stress Disorder (PTSD) is result of severe physical harm or threat and 90 per cent victims go through it when it happens,” said Dr Ghairat Khan Afridi, the head of Trauma, Accident and Emergency (TAE) ward at Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar.

He said that in its initial stage, family, relatives and friends’ support, experts’ consolation and community’s help could make a big difference and at the last stage, one could administer medication depending on the severity condition of the traumatised patient.

“Schoolchildren need detailed sessions on the trauma so that they could be made aware of occurrence of such tragic incidents around them. They should be assembled in a hall or big room where experts or members of civil society or senior teachers should advise young students to get themselves ready to face any such eventuality with fortitude and extend help to their fellows if possible. They also need varieties of diversion and playful activities,” Dr Afridi said.

Dr Tariq Saeed Mufti, a noted psychiatrist, said that PTSD developed after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm. “The person, who develops PTSD may have been the one who was harmed, the harm may have happened to a loved one, or the person may have witnessed a harmful event that happened to loved ones or strangers,” he added.

Dr Mufti said that children and teens could have extreme reactions to trauma, but their symptoms might not be the same as adults. Older children and teens usually show symptoms more like those seen in adults.

“They may also develop disruptive, disrespectful, or destructive behaviours. Older children and teens may feel guilty for not preventing injury or deaths. They may also have thoughts of revenge,” Dr Mufti said.

Parents, he suggested, should not let children watch gory details and images of the tragic incidents on TV. Small children should be convinced of the occurrence of happenings and should they respond, he said.

Reporters covering the tragic school incident were found with misty eyes and in disgruntled mood.

“I was stunned to see images of the devastated Army Public School. Parents and relatives of the victim children could not talk. One of our colleagues during a live TV coverage of the scene of tragedy on the next day lost words. His voice got choked as he could not control his emotions,” said Wisal Yousafzai, a young reporter.

Dr Altafullah Khan, the chairman of department of mass communication and journalism, University of Peshawar said that four young journalists had approached the newly established trauma centre at the department to rehabilitate the traumatised reporters. “Journalists, who are working under trying circumstances need sessions regarding traumatic situation. Two professional counsellors are in close liaison with the department to provide need-based advice to the affected reporters. On every incident, reporters are the first to arrive even before rescuers or forces so they are the direct victim of the trauma,” he said.

The parents, society members, teachers, journalists and religious scholars should join hands to help the children to drive away mental trauma. “It is a fight or flight moment. We need to focus on our future generation so that we could have a safe country in safe hands,” said Dr Mufti.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2014