For instance, if a child's parents are going through a divorce
or if the child had been fighting with a parent on the day of
the event, he or she may feel more of an impact from a traumatic
event such as a school shooting, he said. Moreover, if a child
is frequently exposed to violence, such as by living in an
abusive household or a dangerous neighborhood, a school shooting
may add to existing trauma that child has stored up, Garbarino
said. In those situations, it's hard to lean on the idea of
"going back to normal." There is evidence that elementary-school
children are particularly vulnerable to trauma, more so than
teenagers or adults, Garbarino said. This may be because
although these children have enough awareness of a situation to
appreciate danger, their brains and bodies haven't matured to
manage the effects in the way teenagers and adults can. Trauma
from a school shooting can manifest itself in physical ways,
such as stomachaches, headaches and sleeping difficulties, said
Nancy Rodda, senior directo