Sesame Workshop Study Reveals 9/11 Taught Adults How to Help Children Cope with Fear

2/25/2003

From: Ellen Lewis of Sesame Workshop, 212-875-6396 or Sheila Feren of FerenComm, 212-983-9898

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 -- At a forum that took place today at the National Press Club, Sesame Workshop unveiled findings from the third part of a three-phase study examining the lives of children ages six to eleven. Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization best known as the creator of Sesame Street, initiated the qualitative study in the spring of 2000 in an effort to better understand this age group's needs for educational programming.

Highlights of the study include the fact that children in middle childhood have real, personal fears that do not necessarily mirror those of adults. Though 9/11 may have taught adults how to help kids better handle their fears by giving them extra attention and coming together as a community, kids seem more concerned about routine, everyday violence than war or terrorism. In addition, a panel of kids commenting on the study said they would like parents to help them cope with everyday fears reflected in disturbing media coverage.

Negative preoccupations with 9/11 observed immediately following the tragedy, particularly in the New York and Washington, D.C. areas, seem to have dissipated, while surprising positive outcomes have remained, such as an increased sense of community and appreciation of freedom along with a redefined sense of home and focus on the importance of physical intimacy and family closeness. Lessons from how this tragedy was handled may provide insight into how adults can help children deal with more commonplace fears.

For the third and most recent phase of the study, conducted in May 2002 with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a sample of Arab-American children was included to address the specific concerns of this ethnic group. Questions were added to elicit attitudes toward race and ethnicity. Many findings about how children spend their time, whom they admire, and what is important to them paralleled earlier findings. However, when asked to express their fears, children in the third phase raised more general fears than concern about war and terrorism. The Arab-American children shared these concerns, but their fears were more vivid and immediate. Most of the non-Arab children surveyed were largely unaware of Arab-Americans and did not have negative thoughts about them.

"Children always surprise you. We learn the most about kids when we go straight to them and ask them what they think,. Through this two-year research initiative, children are telling us how to help them learn and grow, and it's important that we listen to them," said Gary E. Knell, President and CEO of Sesame Workshop. "Empowering parents to talk to children about their concerns is one way to help."

Throughout the United States, children were given the opportunity to express themselves using stories, artwork, photographs, and mini essays. Their responses provided a great deal of insight into their emotional, educational and developmental needs. Fear of guns, death and violence were pervasive (nearly two-thirds) and the loss of outdoor space to pollution and development also concerned the children in the study.

Their responses also indicated that mass media and popular culture wields a particular influence over this age group and how they see themselves. In the months following September 11th, a follow-up study was done using the same model to see how the event had impacted this age group and their views of the world. Their responses showed that although the children were fearful, they were enjoying an increased closeness in family and community that helped them to deal with the tragedy.

The following key findings emerge when all three phases of the study are considered:

-- Children are more disturbed by everyday threats or routine violence than by war or terrorism. They worry that they themselves are not safe.

-- Arab American children are experiencing more vivid and immediate anxieties than the overall group. Arab-American kids feel a sense of shame about all kinds of violence that exists in America

-- Signs of united communities and families around them, plus attention from parents and extended family, helped kids deal with 9/11, and positive feelings about family and community have lingered after the tragedy.

-- Kids may have benefited from the extra attention paid to them after 9/11, and parents can learn from the careful way adults attended to children's fears after this event.

A panel of kids convened more recently to review study results expressed the following concerns:

-- Kids feel "assaulted" by the news, which shows disturbing events without warning. Kids would like adults to mediate on their behalf - by watching scary news on TV with them, talking with them about it, and even protecting them from news by adults.

Children in this age group don't want to burden their parents with their fears, but they do want to be comforted and listed to by adults - so adults need to initiate dialogue.

Arab-American kids feel under suspicion after 9/11.

Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit educational organization making a meaningful difference in children's lives around the world. Founded in 1968, the Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. Today, the Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in 120 countries, using its proprietary research methodology to ensure its programs and products are engaging and enriching. Sesame Workshop is behind award-winning programs like Dragon Tales, Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat and ground breaking multi-media productions in countries around the world, including South Africa, Egypt, Russia and China. These are among many Workshop endeavors recognized for their deep understanding of children's developmental needs and the most effective ways to address them. Find the Workshop online at http://www.sesameworkshop.org.