Many young survivors of the Manchester Arena bombing were “let down by adults in authority” as they dealt with mental trauma in the aftermath, a study has found six years after the attack.
Britain’s Prince William hailed the youngsters as “an inspiration” as they opened up on what he called “significant personal challenges”.
Survivors said their feelings were dismissed as “teenage hormones”, their ordeal described as a “positive experience” and that in many cases they were not offered help at all.
The findings were described as heartbreaking by the head of a British emergencies charity.
The May 22, 2017, terrorist attack killed 22 people and injured hundreds at an Ariana Grande concert attended by many teenagers and young people.
A device was detonated at the arena by ISIS-inspired suicide bomber Salman Abedi, who planned the atrocity with his brother Hashem.
In the aftermath, young survivors who turned to teachers, doctors, or counselors for help were often left feeling worse, according to a new study by the National Emergencies Trust and Lancaster University.
Advice from adults included that “this hardship would make me a stronger person” and that no help was available unless patients seemed suicidal or physically unwell.
“The nine young and incredible minds behind this project, and the many more who have contributed, are an inspiration – turning significant personal challenges into positive change,” said Prince William, a patron of the charity.
“This report makes clear that young people who have experienced the trauma of terrorism have needs unique to their age. These are minds that need the space to have their voices heard and feelings acknowledged.
“We must listen to their stories now, in order to learn for the future. I look forward to seeing the change that it creates.”
Accounts from survivors also included:
-School pupils being told they should “crack on” or “needed to get over it” within days or weeks of the attack
· Young people’s emotions being put down to “teenage hormones” or adolescents “wanting attention”
· A doctor offering no support besides telling a survivor they were “more likely to be hit by a bus than it happens again”
· People with mental trauma feel “neglected” or “forgotten about” compared to those with physical injuries
About 40% of young survivors said they were never offered professional support, according to the report.
The survey of 200 people who experienced the Manchester attack was drawn up by nine young survivors themselves.
The findings were “heartbreaking and unsurprising all at the same time,” Mhairi Sharp, the chief executive of the National Emergencies Trust, told a counter-terrorism event in London.
She said it was the first-time young survivors had been asked about their mental health support.
As a country “we can respond to physical injury, we can respond to hardship. But when it comes to bereavement and mental health, we’re not prepared,” Ms Sharp said.
“If something happens tomorrow, we won’t be prepared again.”
