Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-11T05:46:18.473Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 30 - Responding to the Needs of Children, Young People, and Their Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic

from Section 4 - Responses to Meet the Mental Health Needs of People Affected by Emergencies, Major Incidents, and Pandemics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2024

Richard Williams
Affiliation:
University of South Wales
Verity Kemp
Affiliation:
Independent Health Emergency Planning Consultant
Keith Porter
Affiliation:
University of Birmingham
Tim Healing
Affiliation:
Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London
John Drury
Affiliation:
University of Sussex
Get access

Summary

Children are considered particularly vulnerable to disasters, but they are also resilient and respond to social support, which is central to disaster mental health services. This chapter reviews the current approach to services for children, presents a framework for response, addresses assessment, examines intervention approaches and the evidence base for intervention, and offers recommendations for future work. Population risk and context are important in guiding the mental health services that children require after disasters. The COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges that were not anticipated in the existing literature, suggesting that the type of event and event characteristics may be more salient than was previously realised. The predominant focus on post-traumatic stress outcomes in the extant literature has been criticised. Disaster preparedness and educational programmes have demonstrated benefit in fostering children’s participation in disaster management, and an emerging evidence base suggests benefit from a variety of intervention approaches.

Type
Chapter
Information
Major Incidents, Pandemics and Mental Health
The Psychosocial Aspects of Health Emergencies, Incidents, Disasters and Disease Outbreaks
, pp. 223 - 230
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Sphere Association. Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response. Sphere Association, 2004 (https://spherestandards.org/humanitarian-standards/).Google Scholar
Sphere Association. The Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response 4th ed. Sphere Association, 2018 (www.spherestandards.org/handbook/).Google Scholar
Murray, V, Williams, R, Johal, S. International disaster response. In Textbook of Disaster Psychiatry 2nd ed. (eds Ursano, R, Fullerton, CS, Weisaeth, L, Raphael, B): 149–61. Cambridge University Press, 2017.Google Scholar
Furr, JM, Comer, JS, Edmunds, JM, Kendall, PC. Disasters and youth: a meta-analytic examination of posttraumatic stress. J Consult Clin Psychol 2010; 78: 765–80.Google Scholar
Pfefferbaum, B, Nitiéma, P, Newman, E. A meta-analysis of intervention effects on depression and/or anxiety in youth exposed to political violence or natural disasters. Child Youth Care Forum 2019; 48: 449–77.Google Scholar
Pfefferbaum, B, Nitiéma, P, Newman, E, Patel, A. The benefit of interventions to reduce posttraumatic stress in youth exposed to mass trauma: a review and meta-analysis. Prehosp Disaster Med 2019; 34: 540–51.Google Scholar
Pfefferbaum, B, Jacobs, AK, Griffin, N, Houston, JB. Children’s disaster reactions: the influence of exposure and personal characteristics. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2015; 17: 56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, R, Alexander, DA, Bolsover, D, Bakke, FK. Children, resilience and disasters: recent evidence that should influence a model of psychosocial care. Curr Opin Psychiatry 2008; 21: 338–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pfefferbaum, B, North, CS. Child disaster mental health services: a review of the system of care, assessment approaches, and evidence base for intervention. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2016; 18 : 5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bonanno, GA, Brewin, CR, Kaniasty, K, La Greca, AM. Weighing the costs of disaster: consequences, risks, and resilience in individuals, families, and communities. Psychol Sci Public Interest 2010; 11: 149.Google Scholar
Pfefferbaum, B, Sweeton, JL, Newman, E, Varma, V, Noffsinger, MA, Shaw, JA, et al. Child disaster mental health interventions, part II: Timing of implementation, delivery settings and providers, and therapeutic approaches. Disaster Health 2014; 2: 5867.Google Scholar
Pfefferbaum, B, Newman, E, Nitiéma, P. Current evidence for selecting disaster interventions for children and adolescents. Curr Treat Options Psychiatry 2016; 3 : 192205.Google Scholar
Grolnick, WS, Schonfeld, DJ, Schreiber, M, Cohen, J, Cole, V, Jaycox, L, et al. Improving adjustment and resilience in children following a disaster: addressing research challenges. Am Psychol 2018; 73: 215–29.Google Scholar
Gloff, NE, LeNoue, SR, Novins, DK, Myers, K. Telemental health for children and adolescents. Int Rev Psychiatry 2015; 27: 513–24.Google Scholar
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Psychosocial Care for People Affected by Disasters and Major Incidents: A Model for Designing, Delivering and Managing Psychosocial Services for People Involved in Major Incidents, Conflict, Disasters and Terrorism. NATO, 2009 (www.coe.int/t/dg4/majorhazards/ressources/virtuallibrary/materials/Others/NATO_Guidance_Psychosocial_Care_for_People_Affected_by_Disasters_and_Major_Incidents.pdf.).Google Scholar
Fothergill, A. Children, Youth, and Disaster. Oxford Research Encyclopedias, Natural Hazard Science, 2017. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389407.013.23Google Scholar
Peek, L. Children and disasters: understanding vulnerability, developing capacities, and promoting resilience – an introduction. Child Youth Environ 2008; 18: 129.Google Scholar
Pfefferbaum, B, Pfefferbaum, RL, Van Horn, RL. Involving children in disaster risk reduction: the importance of participation. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2018; 9(suppl 2): 1425577.Google Scholar
Amri, A, Haynes, K, Bird, DK, Ronan, K. Bridging the divide between studies on disaster risk reduction education and child-centred disaster risk reduction: a critical review. Children’s Geographies 2018; 16: 239–51.Google Scholar
Pfefferbaum, B, Shaw, JA, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Committee on Quality Issues. Practice parameter on disaster preparedness. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2013; 52: 1224–38.Google Scholar
Newman, E, Pfefferbaum, B, Nirlic, N, Tett, R, Nelson, S, Liles, B. Meta-analytic review of psychological interventions for children survivors of natural and man-made disasters. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2014; 16: 462.Google Scholar
Gilbert, R, Abel, MR, Vernberg, EM, Jacobs, AK. The use of psychological first aid in children exposed to mass trauma. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2021; 23: 53.Google Scholar
The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The COVID-19 infodemic. Lancet Infect Dis 2020; 20: 875.Google Scholar
Wisner, B, Paton, D, Alisic, E, Eastwood, O, Shreve, C, Fordham, M. Communication with children and families about disaster: reviewing multi-disciplinary literature 2015–2017. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2018; 20 : 73.Google Scholar
Moss, WJ, Ramakrishnan, M, Storms, D, Siegal, AH, Weiss, WM, Lejnev, I, et al. Child health in complex emergencies. Bull World Health Organ 2006; 84: 5864.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barenbaum, J, Ruchkin, V, Schwab-Stone, M. The psychosocial aspects of children exposed to war: practice and policy initiatives. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2004; 45: 4162.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
North, CS, Suris, AM, Pollio, DE. A nosological exploration of PTSD and trauma in disaster mental health and implications for the COVID-19 pandemic. Behav Sci 2021; 11: 7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pfefferbaum, B. Posttraumatic stress disorder in children in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2022; 61: 957–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Institute of Medicine. Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities after Disasters: Strategies, Opportunities, and Planning for Recovery. National Academies Press, 2015 (www.nap.edu/download/18996).Google Scholar
Crowley, RA, Kirschner, N. The integration of care for mental health, substance abuse, and other behavioral health conditions into primary care: executive summary of an American College of Physicians position paper. Ann Intern Med 2015; 163: 298–9.Google Scholar
National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People: Progress and Possibilities. National Academies Press, 2009 (www.nap.edu/download/12480).Google Scholar
Pfefferbaum, B, Jacobs, AK, Houston, JB. Children and disasters: a framework for mental health assessment. J Emerg Manag 2012; 10: 349–58.Google Scholar
Pfefferbaum, B, Sweeton, JL, Newman, E, Varma, V, Nitiéma, P, Shaw, JA, et al. Child disaster mental health interventions, part I. Techniques, outcomes, and methodological considerations. Disaster Health 2014; 2: 4657.Google Scholar
Pfefferbaum, B, Nitiéma, P, Newman, E. A critical review of effective child mass trauma interventions: what we know and do not know from the evidence. Behav Sci 2021; 11: 25.Google Scholar
Johnson, VA, Ronan, KR, Johnston, DM, Peace, R. Evaluations of disaster education programs for children: a methodological review. Int J Disaster Risk Reduct 2014; 9: 107–23.Google Scholar
Pfefferbaum, B, Nitiéma, P, Tucker, P, Newman, E. Early child disaster mental health interventions: a review of the empirical evidence. Child Youth Care Forum 2017; 46: 621–42.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×