DEAR Blog
Disaster Experiential Activity and Reflection
Project by Noah Hass-Cohen, Psy.D., Alliant International University School of Professional Psychology
Contributors: Jeremy Arzt, M.A.; Joanna Clyde Findley, M.A.; Anya Kavanaugh, B.F.A;
Alliant International University, Couples and Family Therapy, Crisis and Trauma course students
December 14, 2012: SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING
Background
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The deadliest mass shooting at a high school or grade school in United States history and was the second-deadliest mass shooting by a single person in United States history.
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20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and six adult school staff members and also committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.
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The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting prompted renewed debate about gun control in the United States, including proposals for making the background-check system universal, and for new federal and state legislation banning the sale and manufacture of certain types of semi-automatic firearms and magazines with more than ten rounds of ammunition..
Life Threatening Toll: Injury and Death
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28 total deaths; 27 at the school (including perpetrator) and perpetrator’s mother who was killed in her home just prior to the shooting.
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2 people were injured
Immediate Psychological Impact
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Shock, fear, panic, and disbelief.
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Nightmares, difficulty sleeping and concentrating.
Long-term Psychological Impact
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Many of the children that returned to Sandy Hook Elementary after the shooting occurred fear a repeat incident will occur.
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Survivors of the attacks have reported emotional distress often being triggered by loud noises and crowds. One first grader reported being afraid every time he heard an intercom because the intercom was on when Lanza began shooting.
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Two years later psychological impact to parents and children of the Sandy Hook massacre includes anxiety, depression, guilt, sleeplessness, marital issues, and drug and alcohol abuse.
