As spring break approaches for students in Virginia, Maryland and D.C., some children are expressing fears of flying — a psychiatrist is offering suggestions to help family vacations get off the ground.
“I’ve been having parents come with plane tickets, ready to head off for spring break and concerned because their kid is saying, ‘I’m not going,'” said Dr. Asha Patton-Smith, a psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente.
Patton-Smith said adults also get anxious about air travel.
“A lot are what we call ‘nervous flyers,’ and then we have some that go to the extreme and choose not to fly,” she said.
While fear of flying is fairly common any time, “most recently they’re having issues with the devastating loss of life” in the Jan. 29 midair collision near Reagan National Airport between an American Airlines regional jet and a military helicopter that killed 67 people.
“Flying is … one of the safest forms of transportation, and it’s important to talk to kids about that,” Patton-Smith said.
She said parents or caregivers should talk to children to understand what their fears and concerns are, in hopes of finding a way to help.
“As you talk to your child with open communication, you may be able to get a sense of where the sticking point is,” Patton-Smith said. “Is it the transition to the airport? Is it being bored before we board the flight? Is it fear of the takeoff or landing, or that we’re going to crash?”
It might be difficult for a parent to immediately realize a child is worried about an upcoming flight.
“Anxiety can manifest in a lot of different ways. It can be avoidance. It can be what we typically think about panic — symptoms like shortness of breath, feeling faint or a racing heart,” Patton-Smith said. “It can also be things like headaches, severe stomach aches or being very isolated, being irritable and tearful.”
By talking and discussing coping mechanisms ahead of time, parents can help empower their children to deal with their anxiety,
“Some parents take their kids to the airport so they can just feel and see planes taking off and landing safely,” Patton-Smith said. “It can be making sure you have activities for younger kids to do as you’re waiting for the flight, and having in-flight snacks that they like, and having them help plan for the trip also helps.”
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