Nursery World - Terrorism 'worries Scottish children'

Four in five Scottish children aged between six and eight know what terrorism is, and half of all their parents worry that their children will be hurt in a terrorist attack, according to research by Rona Dolev, a psychologist at the University of Dundee. The ongoing four-year study, which started after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in America, is looking into the effects of exposure to terrorism on 1,400 parents and their children in Israel, the United States, Northern Ireland and Scotland, in collaboration with psychologists from these four countries. Ms Dolev interviewed 200 Scottish parents to find out whether children are aware of terrorism.

The ongoing four-year study, which started after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in America, is looking into the effects of exposure to terrorism on 1,400 parents and their children in Israel, the United States, Northern Ireland and Scotland, in collaboration with psychologists from these four countries. Ms Dolev interviewed 200 Scottish parents to find out whether children are aware of terrorism.

The study confirmed that terrorism was a familiar topic for primary school-age children in Scotland, as they saw it on television, heard about it in school and from their peers, and wanted to know more.

The research found that the media was the most important source of information on the subject for children, and that 91 per cent of children aged six to 11 had watched media coverage of terrorist attacks, while 74 per cent had asked their parents questions about terrorism, often on several occasions.

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