How to understand and ease children's fear of earthquakes. Learn about children's reactions after a disaster, age-appropriate ways to talk and support.
Turkey is an earthquake country. The earthquakes centred on Kahramanmaraş on 6 February 2023 affected the lives of millions of people, directly or indirectly. Alongside the children who lived through the earthquake themselves, lost loved ones, or were forced to leave their homes and cities, many children who followed events on television and social media also experienced intense fear and anxiety. Even today there are children and parents who worry at every small tremor or every news item about earthquakes. Children's fear of earthquakes is a very understandable reaction after a disaster, or in an environment where the risk of disaster is talked about often. In this article we look at the reactions children may show after a disaster, how you can talk to your child about earthquakes in an age-appropriate way, concrete steps you can take at home, and the situations that call for professional support.
Why Do Children Develop a Fear of Earthquakes?
Fear is a natural emotion that protects us from danger. An unpredictable, uncontrollable and life-threatening event such as an earthquake directly shakes a child's most basic need: a sense of safety. The child experiences or hears that the belief "My home protects me, my mum and dad will always be with me" can collapse in an instant.
Several factors play a part in the emergence of earthquake fear:
- Direct experience: Living through the earthquake, being trapped under rubble, being injured or seeing someone injured
- Loss: The loss of a parent, sibling, relative, friend or teacher
- Displacement: Being separated from home, school, neighbourhood and friends; living in a tent, container home or a relative's house
- Media exposure: Watching images of destruction, rescue operations and distressing news again and again
- Adults' anxiety: Adults at home constantly talking about earthquakes, being in a panic, or arguing about the expected big earthquake
- Aftershocks: Each new tremor reviving the fear that was experienced
It is worth remembering that children who watched the earthquake from afar can also experience intense fear. In cities such as Istanbul, where the risk of a major earthquake is often discussed, children can become anxious from picking up half-understood information from adult conversations.
Children's Reactions After a Disaster
Most of the reactions children show after a disaster are ordinary reactions to an extraordinary event. They often ease over time and as a safe environment is re-established. Some reactions that may be seen by age are as follows:
Preschool age (2–6 years)
- Not wanting to be apart from a parent, constantly wanting to be held
- Regression: bed-wetting, thumb-sucking, baby talk
- Sleep problems, nightmares, fear of the dark
- Re-enacting the earthquake again and again in play (knocking down blocks, playing "earthquake")
- Being startled excessively by loud noises and vibrations
- An increase in tantrums
School age (7–12 years)
- Constantly asking questions about the earthquake, or avoiding talking about it altogether
- Difficulty with attention and concentration at school
- Physical complaints such as stomach aches and headaches
- Fear of being alone, of enclosed spaces and of entering buildings
- Feelings of guilt ("I could have done something")
- Irritability and more frequent conflict with siblings and friends
Adolescence (13–18 years)
- Withdrawal, drawing away from family and friends
- Feelings of hopelessness and meaninglessness about the future
- Disrupted sleep
- An increase in risk-taking behaviour
- Survivor guilt ("Why was I saved?")
- A drop in academic performance; being unable to focus on preparing for LGS or YKS (Turkey's national high-school and university entrance exams)
On their own, these reactions do not indicate a mental disorder. However, their intensity and duration should be watched carefully.
How Does Fear of Earthquakes Affect a Child's Daily Life?
Earthquake fear is not a feeling that is felt only at the moment of a tremor; it can seep into a child's everyday life. Some children do not want to sleep alone in their room on an upper floor, some refuse to take the lift, and some want to sit in the desk closest to the door in class. There may be children who cannot sleep without putting their shoes by the bed, or who wake several times during the night and come to their parents.
School life is affected too. Children who move from the earthquake zone to another city have to adapt to a new school, new friends and sometimes a different accent. In this process, being labelled "the child from the earthquake zone" can increase feelings of loneliness. Working together with teachers is important so that the child feels safe in the classroom.
Within the family, financial losses, the search for housing and worries about work add to parents' stress. Children sense this stress and sometimes come to see themselves as a burden on the family. Imagine a ten-year-old who, after overhearing the family's money troubles, stops saying that they want to go on a school trip. Noticing quiet sacrifices like this, and giving the child the message "This is a grown-up problem, and we will deal with it", helps protect their childhood.
How Do You Talk to Children About Earthquakes?
Children fill the subjects adults do not talk about with their own imagination, and that imagination is often more frightening than reality. For this reason it is important to have an honest, calm conversation about earthquakes that is appropriate to their age.
Listen first
Ask your child what they know and what they think: "What have you heard about the earthquake?", "What frightens you most?" These questions help you correct misinformation and understand the child's real worry.
Give simple, concrete explanations
For young children: "An earthquake happens when the big rocks under the ground move. That is why the ground shakes. We know what to do when there is an earthquake, and we will look after each other."
For school-age children, you can explain the science of earthquakes in more detail and look up the questions the child is curious about together.
Emphasise safety, but do not make unrealistic promises
Saying "There will never be an earthquake again" can damage a child's trust, because aftershocks or future earthquakes may prove those words wrong. Instead, use realistic but reassuring sentences such as: "We know what to do if there is an earthquake. We will do everything we can to protect you. Right now we are safe."
Accept feelings
Instead of saying "There's nothing to be afraid of", saying "It's completely normal to be scared, I get scared sometimes too. You can come to me when you're frightened" validates the child's feeling.
Do not treat the conversation as a one-off event
Children may ask the same questions again days, even weeks later. This does not mean your explanation was inadequate; the child digests information bit by bit. Short, consistent and calm answers each time are enough. Some children express themselves by drawing or telling the story through their toys rather than talking directly. Asking "What's happening here?" about a picture your child has drawn can be a gentle way of starting a conversation. With teenagers, conversations that open up in the car, on a walk or while cooking together often go more easily than sitting face to face.
Reassuring a child does not mean telling them there is no danger; it means helping them feel they are not alone in the face of danger.
How Can You Reduce Children's Fear of Earthquakes? Steps You Can Take at Home
1. Re-establish routines
After a disaster, life is turned upside down. However, getting mealtimes, bedtimes and playtimes back in order as soon as possible gives the child a sense of predictability and control. Even if you are living in a container home or temporary housing, small rituals (reading a story before bed, having breakfast together in the morning) can have a significant effect.
2. Prepare the family earthquake plan together
Preparing the earthquake bag with your child, visiting the assembly area together and practising the "Drop, Cover, Hold On" movement as a game reduce the child's sense of helplessness. Giving your child the job of putting a small toy or book of their own choosing in the bag gives them an active role in the preparation. However, avoid repeating these activities too often or in a way that creates anxiety.
3. Limit media exposure
Images of destruction, rescue operations and "big earthquake" debates can keep a child's fear constantly alive. Avoid watching the news in front of children; with teenagers, talk about social media use and reliable sources of information.
4. Allow play
Parents may worry when a child re-enacts the earthquake in play. Yet this is a natural way for the child to process what they have been through. Instead of banning the play, be beside them; you can gently help themes of rescue, recovery and safety to appear in the play ("Let's see when the ambulance will arrive?").
5. Soften bedtime
Bedtime can be when fear is felt most. Using a night light, temporarily letting your child sleep near you and following calming bedtime routines are helpful. If sleep problems continue, the general sleep hygiene principles in our article on how to overcome insomnia can also be a guide.
6. Teach physical relaxation techniques
Simple breathing and relaxation exercises you can do with children help reduce the effects of fear on the body:
- Balloon breathing: The child puts a hand on their tummy, takes a deep breath in through the nose so that the tummy inflates like a balloon, and lets it out slowly through the mouth.
- Turtle exercise: Like a turtle, the child lifts their shoulders towards their ears, holds for a few seconds, then lets go.
- 5-4-3-2-1 exercise: The child names five things they can see, four things they can touch, three things they can hear, two things they can smell and one thing they can taste. This exercise is especially useful in moments of sudden fear for older children and teenagers.
7. Manage your own anxiety
Children watch their parents' emotional state very closely. Your being calm helps your child to calm down too. Find adults with whom you can share your own fears and worries; if necessary, get support for yourself as well.
8. Give opportunities to help
For older children and teenagers, taking part in aid campaigns, writing a letter or donating toys can reduce feelings of helplessness and strengthen a sense of meaning.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
Most post-disaster reactions ease over time. However, it can be helpful to seek support from a specialist in the following situations:
- If the reactions do not ease or even increase despite weeks passing
- If the child keeps re-living the earthquake in distressing ways in nightmares, flashbacks or play
- If the child refuses for a long time to go to school, enter buildings or be separated from a parent
- If regressive behaviours clearly continue
- If the child constantly blames themselves or expresses hopelessness
- If your teenager shows substance use, risk-taking or complete withdrawal
- If they lost a loved one in the disaster
If your child talks about harming themselves or wanting to die, take it seriously; in an emergency, call 112 (emergency services). Our article on post-traumatic stress disorder offers further information on long-lasting reactions after trauma. These signs on their own do not amount to a diagnosis; an assessment should be made by a specialist.
How Are Children Supported in Therapy After a Disaster?
Psychological support for children after a disaster is planned according to the child's age, the nature of what they have been through and the family's situation. In the first stage, safety, stability and meeting basic needs are generally the priority.
With young children, child and play therapy is a frequently used approach. Play allows a child to express, in a safe setting, fears and losses they cannot put into words. The therapist accompanies the child's play and helps them make sense of their feelings.
With older children and teenagers, trauma-focused cognitive behavioural approaches can be used. In this approach the child processes traumatic memories in a controlled and safe way, notices their fear-related thoughts and develops coping skills. Sessions with parents are an important part of the process, because the family's ability to cope with its own trauma directly affects the child's recovery.
For families who have moved from the earthquake zone to another city, or whose opportunities for face-to-face sessions are limited, online therapy can also be an option.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a child's fear of earthquakes last?
This varies according to the child's age, the intensity of what they experienced and the support they receive. In many children, reactions ease within weeks or months as a safe environment is re-established. If reactions continue for a long time or seriously affect daily life, specialist support is recommended.
Can a child who did not experience the earthquake also be afraid?
Yes. Children who watched the earthquake on television or social media, or who witnessed adults' anxious conversations, can also experience intense fear. These children's fears should also be taken seriously and addressed with an age-appropriate conversation.
My child keeps playing earthquake in their games. Is this normal?
After a disaster it is very common for children to re-enact the earthquake in their play, and it is a way of processing what they have been through. However, if the play repeats in the same way, with intense distress and without any resolution, speaking to a specialist can be helpful.
Does an earthquake drill frighten a child?
Drills carried out calmly, in the form of a game and in a way that suits the child's age can give the child a sense of control. However, drills that are held too often, or in a frightening or forceful way, can increase anxiety. It is important to talk about the child's feelings after a drill.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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