Introduction
Natural disasters can strike anywhere and at any time. In the same way they can affect anyone in the region where they strike. With regard to health impacts, people in developing countries, the poor and children stand at a higher risk. Disasters may negatively affect the psychological and physical of children. Additionally, other may also die suffer from malnutrition due to the disruption of food supply. Psychological impact of disasters on children is the main focus of this paper
Part A
Children fall in the category of the most vulnerable populations during disasters. They may therefore develop emotional, psychological and behavioral changes after a disaster (Makwana, 2019).Psychological issues in children can occur inform of sleep disorders, emotional distress, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental condition prompted by a terrifying event from the past. It occurs to individuals who witnessed the event or experienced it directly. People with this condition experience flashbacks, uncontrollable thoughts about the incident, extreme anxiety and nightmares.
Disasters lead to a substantial burden of PTSD on children. These consequences on children may last for long durations or short durations depending on the severity of a disaster and the ability of a child to adjust Children who experience disasters may develop PTSD consequences in the long run or short run. This means that children who experience these challenges may find it challenging to cope or adjust to the aftermath of the disaster for weeks, months, or even years in extreme cases.
Multiple researchers have embarked on the study of posttraumatic stress disorder in children exposed to disasters. It is one of the most prevalent consequence of being exposed to disasters among children. Some of the associated symptoms include angry outbursts, irritability, and continuous sadness, absence of positive emotions, sleep problems and nightmares and avoidance of people or places associated with the event. These problems are often associated with developmental problems in children. In addition, thy can also affect the normal functioning during childhood. The consequences of post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder have been witnessed in a huge number of children exposed to disasters including hurricanes, earthquakes and Tsunami such as the 2004 tsunami (Abuse, 2018).
However the severity of the experience and the percentage of the total cases is dependent o factors such as the experienced loss, the severity of the experienced or witnessed disaster. The exposure to disasters may also lead to long-term consequences on developmental and behavioral welfare of children. Studies show about 34% of school children directly affected by the tsunami still had mental illness three years after the occurrence of the 2006 Tsunami. A similar trend characterized by extreme emotional disturbance was also witnessed in among 9.3%affceted by the hurricane Katrina. However, with the right care and support, children many get better with time and get back to their normal functioning (Abuse, 2018).
Major depressive disorder
Major depressive disorder also known as depression is a major mood disorder that leads to tenacious loss of interest and a feeling of sadness. It largely affects how an individual behaves, feels and think. Depression is a major cause of emotional problems among children in the aftermath of a disaster. Young children particularly those aged below eight stand a higher risk of developing major depressive disorder. This severity of mental stress on children is attributed to the fact that young children have limited knowledge about the disasters and lack experience in dealing with such occurrences.it may also be attributed to their inability to control ty happenings (CDC, 2020).
Depression in children is characterized by lack of interest in activities initially enjoyed, irritability, persistent low mood exhaustion and tiredness. Depression may have a major impact on children’s quality of life and physical health .It may also affect their overall performance at school besides affecting their association with community and family members (SAMHSA, 2019).
Researchers have identified high stress levels among children affected by man-made disasters ranging from 2 to 34 percent. For example a study focused on analyzing the psychological impact of World Trade Centre terrorist attacks of 2011 and 2009 established that 8% of school going children in New York City were experiencing major depressive disorder. A similar trend was reported in a study conducted among student-survivors of a mass shooting whereby more than 50% of them were found to have a major depressive stress disorder (SAMHSA, 2019).
Anxiety disorders
The term anxiety disorder is used to describe a combination of mental disorders characterized by intense feelings of fear and anxiety. People with anxiety disorders largely react to current events and worry about impending events. Anxiety disorder may lead to increased heart rate or trembling. After disastrous events young children may develop anxiety after being separated from their parents and family member’s .In this regard 25.4% of children attending school in New York’s public schools were found to have major depressive disorder several months past 9/11 terrorist attacks (SAMHSA, 2019).
Role of teachers
Coming with the aftermaths of a disaster can be particularly challenging to student to young children. For this reason students have a special role in providing the necessary support to help children cope with the challenges.
They can help them by giving them a listening ear and talking to them to help them makes sense of what happened to enhance their understanding. Teachers should also actively keep them engaged in activities within an outside classrooms to help them manage the situation. In addition providing them with an opportunity to talk about what happened or what they think about what happened would also be a helpful strategy
PART B
Disasters and their impact on child development: Introduction to the special section (Masten & Osofsky, 2010).
According to Masten & Osofsky (2010) disasters affect the lives of millions of children around the world. These types of disasters are categorized into natural disasters, man-made disasters and disease outbreaks. Notably, the researchers have argued that it is widely challenging to collect data from the area of the impact of disasters based on the practical perspectives, methodological, conceptual and ethical perspectives. The research process may pose challenges for both the researcher and research participants
Additionally, the process is also challenging because of the fact that disasters strike without warning leading to pragmatic and ethical issues for the researcher. Additionally, it is also challenging to acquire the required representative samples after the occurrence of a disaster which makes researchers to focus on samples of convenience. Another challenge for the researcher is the linked to the lack of previous research in areas where many of these disasters strike.
An additional key message from this reference is that disasters increase trauma symptoms, mental anguish, and behavior problems in children during times of disaster. They refer to this as dose response effect. Their evidence is based on the previous studies of children exposed to the 2004 tsunami in Siri Lanka.
The researchers have also argued that trauma associated with disasters is more prevalent on females as compared to men
What are the key messages of the three required references?
• On what evidence do the authors make their argument?
• Evaluate the quality of evidence upon which the authors make their argument.
• Which resource do you consider to be the better source?
• On what characteristics/features of the article have you based your choice?
• Ensure your word has a title, introduction and conclusion, and uses relevant subheadings throughout
References
Abuse, S.2018. Mental Health Services Administration. Disaster Technical Assistance Center Supplemental Research Bulletin: Behavioral health conditions in children and youth exposed to natural disasters.
CDC. (2020). Children’s Mental Health & Disasters | CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 4 May 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/childrenindisasters/features/disasters-mental-health.html.
Makwana, N. (2019). Disaster and its impact on mental health: A narrative review. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 8(10), 3090.
Masten, A. S., & Osofsky, J. D. (2010). Disasters and their impact on child development: Introduction to the special section. Child development, 81(4), 1029-1039.
SAMHSA. (2019). Disaster Technical Assistance Center Supplemental Research Bulletin Mental Health Issues and Conditions in Children and Youth Exposed to Human-caused Disasters. Samhsa.gov. Retrieved 4 May 2020, from https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/mental-health-substance-use-issues-exposed-youth.pdf.
