Ohana Matters: Stress due to shelter-living

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hundreds of families are in shelters on the Big Island due to the eruption, but what is it like for the families there, especially the children? Some of the children are likely experiencing trauma due to the eruption. Now that hundreds of families are in shelters, that's an entirely new kind of trauma--the trauma of being homeless. Staying in a shelter can be stressful and traumatic under these circumstances and increases the likelihood of children getting Developmental Trauma Disorder (or in layman's terms: when trauma is ongoing during childhood). They're basically in survival mode, which can have lasting effects on the brain. And, what's more, many of these children will have watched their homes being destroyed either live or on T.V.

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