The Emotional Impact of Disaster on Children and Families

Events that cause a great deal of damage or long-lasting disruptions, or occur with little warning, tend to cause a greater degree of distress. Factors that influence the type and intensity of the emotional impact experienced by affected children are shown in Box 1.

Resilience

Resilience, or the ability to ‘bounce back’ and to thrive in the context of adversity, is the ability of a system exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate to and recover from the effects of adverse events in a timely and efficient manner, including through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and functions. Resilience is a multidimensional construct, that is dependent on both the capacity of the individual, and the capacity of the social and physical environment to facilitate the individual’s coping with adversity. It is thus a dynamic concept. Rather than a ‘trait’ of a person it is the outcome of a process involving developmental factors, promotive and protective influences and vulnerabilities in the person and the ecological system. Resilience is a dynamic concept that can be used to describe processes within a person (e.g., stress-response system or the immune system), or in larger systems such as the family or community. Consequently, when assessing symptoms of emotional distress of children in the aftermath of disasters also include an evaluation of the capacity of the child’s social environment to provide resources that may mitigate the impact of exposure. These protective resources can be found at family, peer, school, and community levels. It is essential to make these resources easily available. More resilient children are able to focus their energy on developmentally appropriate activities such as play, friendships, and learning. To the extent possible it is best to minimize the degree to which children are made to assume parental roles that are inconsistent with their own developmental and emotional needs. Older children, however, may benefit from involvement in activities that provide meaning, structure.

Using a resilience framework implies a dynamic view on the interaction between a person and the environment: resilience can be promoted by strengthening factors in the individual child, but also by strengthening factors  in the social or material ecology of a child. The resilience communities and individuals is determined by the degree to which the community and person has the necessary resources and is capable of organizing itself, both prior to and during or after a disaster.

Among the most important protective factors for emotional wellbeing of children after disasters are secure and ongoing attachment relationships, self regulation skills, maintaining a sense of agency, and being in an ongoing supportive social system such as school or other childnurturing facility.

In emergencies, ensuring that basic needs are met and a basic level of safety is installed are both paramount. Efforts to strengthen families must be a priority: a loving and caring family is a key protective factor in strengthening a child’s resilience and supports a healthy development in spite of a crisis and adversity. Equally important is that children as soon as possible have access to education, health services and opportunities for play and social interaction.

While reading this module it should be taken into consideration that it is not so much the risk factors and protective factors per se, but their dynamic relationship that predict good or bad outcomes.

Type, Extent, and Duration of Disaster

Acute situations of short duration that generate few changes in everyday life cause less psychological damage than those that are prolonged and cause extensive damage to the social environment.

Direct Exposure to Disaster

When children are direct witnesses to the impact of a disaster, the emotional consequences are more severe.

Perception of Life-threat to Self or Significant Other

Children’s subjective perceptions of the disaster and its effects are an important influence. A perceived threat to an individual’s life is as important to assess as any objective risk, since the perception of a lifethreat is a strong risk factor for developing an emotional disorder. In children, their belief that their parent might die is also a significant risk factor for developing emotional problems, more than the event itself.

Separation From Caregivers

Children who suffer potentially traumatic events are more likely to develop lasting emotional probems if they are not with their parents — or are separated from their parents — immediately after the event.

Physical Injury

Physical injury and related pain is associated with chronic PTSD symptoms.

Effects on Parents or Caregivers

Children are sensitive to how a disaster has affected families and community. Adults, who normally provide support, protection, and stability, may be unable to provide shelter, food, or safety. They may fail to respond appropriately to their child’s emotional distress because they are incapacitated by their own emotional response. Children are affected by their caregiver’s response to an event. An over-whelmed caregiver frequently leads to a distressed child. Emotional or behavioral disorders manifested by care givers increase a child’s feelings of insecurity and fear; making long-term emotional and behavioral disorders more likely.

Family Inner Resources: Relationships and Communication among Family Members

Families characterized by tense and conflicting relationships prior to the disaster are more likely to react in nonadaptive and disorganized manners. This reinforces feelings of helplessness and insecurity in children.

Exposure of Children to Mass Media

Repetitive exposure of children to terrifying images on television has an emotional impact on them. Children may misunderstand these images and believe that the event is ongoing or more severe or closer to them than in reality. Graphic images can overwhelm and frighten younger children, and impact older children and adolescents as well. Indirect exposure to disaster through TV images is associated with anxiety and other emotional disturbances in children not directly exposed to the disaster. Adults should monitor and restrict images that their children are exposed to through all media, but especially through television. Social media may also be a source of distressing images and inaccurate information. Having accurate information available on the internet may be desirable.

Cultural and Contextual Differences

Children and families who have previously endured traumatic experiences, or have lived with chronic adversity, including violence, abuse, separation from caregivers, abject poverty, discrimination and social exclusion have a greater risk of experiencing serious adverse emotional reactions to disaster. A strong and extensive social network may serve as a protective buffer. Likewise, some religious beliefs may serve as protective factors for children and their families.

Degree of Disruption and Loss of Social Control in the Community

Disasters may generate situations of chaos and disruption that undermine the normal rule of law and lead to desperate and criminal behavior such as looting, robbery, and vandalism. The frequency of interpersonal violence including rape of women and sexual abuse of children increases in these circumstances.

Community Response to the Needs of Children Affected by Disaster

The more social cohesiveness the community retains, the quicker that society will gain a sense of stability, normalcy, or, at least, hope. Communities recover quicker if prior to the disaster they have prepared a plan for responding and rebuilding. Having a community response and recovery plan that is implemented in a prompt, effective, and coherent manner will create a more supportive environment that lessens the risk for long-term emotional disorders. Schools may be a good place to have simulations and or drills for disaster preparedness.