Are Beslan's Children Learning to Cope? A 3-Year Prospective Study of Youths Exposed to Terrorism.

The article discusses a study on psychological symptoms and coping behaviors in adolescents exposed to terrorism in Beslan, Russia. The role played by coping in the development of posttraumatic stress was investigated under the study. Psychological distress significantly increased and active coping decreased among directly exposed adolescents while indirectly exposed adolescents had better mental health. A disproportionate increase in avoidant coping was observed in boys compared with girls.