Supporting Families Facing Continuing Mass Gun Violence

This post was co-authored by Sarah MacLaughlin, LSW, and Rahil Briggs, Psy.D.

In the weeks since the May 2022 shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, there have been over 30 mass shootings in the United States (ABC News, 2022). Caregivers of young children were already struggling with the seemingly unending effects of the pandemic; the economic reverberations, lack of quality childcare, and supply chain issues affecting access to goods, including infant formula.

Rates of poverty, parental stress, loneliness, anxiety, and depression have surged (Wong, 2022). Ongoing social isolating and distancing have taken a significant toll, and babies’ development has been delayed and adversely affected. Caregiver mental health is crucial for baby and toddler health, and with the added stress and grief of escalating gun violence, caregivers are suffering. Here are some tips for helping them feel supported.

Source: Shutterstock/NadyaEugene

Validate that gun violence is a legitimate worry. With an average of 11 mass shootings per week in 2022 (NPR, 2022), it is no wonder caregivers are feeling overwhelmed or even numb. It can have a gaslighting effect to see news of mass murders in classrooms, grocery stores, and places of worship only to have life continue as usual. Confirm for caregivers that the feelings of grief, anger, and anxiety related to gun violence are appropriate.

Acknowledge the impact of the repetitive nature of gun violence. When a national tragedy such as a mass shooting happens once or twice, it is considered a traumatic event, has a particular impact on the brain and may be difficult to process. But when they occur with this kind of frequency, there simply isn’t time to process the grief and fear between incidents, which can have a cumulative effect. These shootings are an ongoing collective trauma that is difficult to recover completely.

Help caregivers recognize the symptoms of this stress. Though it might be hard to tease out the pandemic brain fog from the never-ending mass shootings’ impact on functioning, it is good to remember that the brain and nervous system can only manage so much stress before symptoms like forgetfulness and confusion set in.

Additionally, any caregiver who has already been experiencing depression and/or anxiety may notice an increase in symptoms. Feelings ranging from unease to panic may occur when caregivers go to any locations recently targeted with gun violence. General hypervigilance about child and family safety can easily escalate.

Offer caregivers strategies for ameliorating stress and soothing their nervous systems. An effort to reduce stressors is certainly warranted, but short of the passing of sweeping gun control, it may not be feasible to remove the things causing caregivers stress. This is when caregivers can create balance by focusing on the other side of the equation. If you cannot remove the things that distress the nervous system, then add some things that soothe it.

• Meditation and mindfulness are proven strategies.
• Healthy habits around sleep, exercise, and nutrition are vital.
• Regular mental health care, healthy social connections, and outdoor time always help.
• Taking part in advocacy opportunities can be comforting. There are many ways to be involved with organizations such as Moms Demand Action or Sandy Hook Promise.
• Hands-on, practical support such as dependable, high-quality child care, access to food banks, and referrals to early interventions (EI) services improve caregivers’ daily lives emotionally, mentally, and logistically. Practitioners can assist with arranging this type of sustained support whenever possible.

Ideally, adult caregivers are emotionally steady and available to respond to their children’s needs, provide stability, and help them understand their environment and regulate their emotions (Wong, 2022). Many recent factors, including COVID-19, inflation/economic hardship, and escalating gun violence, are making that ideal situation particularly challenging.

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As one mother noted about her young child in a recent USA Today article on early development, "I want her to have a childhood she does not have to recover from (and) trying to do that is a little difficult.” Babies, toddlers, and young children need their caregivers to receive enough support for them to provide safe, stabilizing care. Care from providers that brings reflection, validation, useful information, and strategies for alleviating stress are essential to making that happen.