How to help your children cope with the Dreamworld tragedy

In the wake of this week’s tragic Dreamworld accident, which saw four people die after a ride malfunctioned at the Gold Coast theme park, you may be wondering how you can support your children during such an upsetting time.

While our hearts and thoughts go out to all those affected by Queensland’s worst theme park tragedy, you will also want to think about how you can help your loved ones to cope, closer to home.

For families who were not at Dreamworld during the tragedy

Most children will be fine – they may feel shocked and this is to be expected. However, the majority will be back to normal within a short time frame.

Here are some guidelines for answering children’s questions:

• Be honest and stick to the facts.
• Use developmentally appropriate language.
• Don’t provide more detail than children actually ask for.
• Find out what children think they know – sometimes, “playground chatter” can paint a more frightening picture than the reality. For example: “Did you hear that 100 people died at Dreamworld yesterday!” Correct misinformation as appropriate.
• Limit the amount of media coverage children see, hear and read.

Other ways parents can help their children:

• Allow children to express any distress they may be experiencing.
• Model an attitude of calm and confidence. Tell your children something like: “Police investigators are working hard to figure out what caused the accident and once they have done that, it will be fixed. The park will not reopen until this happens. When the park reopens, it will be safe.”
• Be aware that talking too much or too little to children about a potentially distressing event can be problematic. It’s hard to find the balance as parents, but avoid the following unhelpful approaches:
  1. Acting as though nothing has happened and “shutting down” conversations your child tries to have about the accident.
  2. Frequently “taking children’s emotional temperature” about the event – don’t constantly ask your children if they are OK.
• Explain to children that what happened was a tragic accident and that these types of disasters are extremely rare – that is why it is attracting so much media attention.
• Reassure children that although the world is a place where dangerous things can happen, the world is not always an unsafe place.

For families who were at Dreamworld during the tragedy

Most children (and adults) will experience some distress over the tragic accident – this is normal. For most children, this will resolve naturally within a matter of days or weeks.

If parents are concerned their children’s distress is still not resolved by the six-to-eight week mark, they should seek help from their GP or other health professional.

For now, it is about “watchful waiting”. Most children will not require psychological intervention. Just be sure to discuss your own distress with other adults rather than your children.