Reviews of Research: Children and Nuclear War
Abstract Even though we may be on the edge of a new world order, the recent crisis in the Persian Gulf makes it imminently clear that we are continually on the edge of nuclear war. The following review provides information on children's knowledge, feelings and fears about nuclear war. Implications for teachers to help address children's concerns are also discussed.—S.B.S.
Soviet children and the threat of nuclear war: a preliminary study.
This study, the first undertaken by Western researchers with Soviet children on the subject of nuclear weapons, compared the questionnaire responses of 293 Soviet youngsters with those of 201 age-matched Californians. Interviews were conducted to supplement the questionnaire findings. Similarities and differences between the two samples are discussed in the context of how young people today perceive the threat of nuclear war.
Dealing with the nuclear threat as a function of grieving
The psychological process of dealing with the threat of nuclear war may be considered as a process of accommodation to a major loss or threat of a loss. In effect, this represents a special case of the grieving process first delineated by Dr E. Kubler‐Ross when she studied accommodation to impending death. By considering where a person is in his or her grieving syndrome with respect to the nuclear issue, we may be more capable of improving our communication with that person and help to facilitate the process of coming fully to terms with this most important threat to our health.