Just as many of the children of Japan were beginning to calm from the traumatic shock and fear from the 8.9 magnitude earthquake which hit Japan’s northern coast on March 11, 2011, which also generated a thirty-foot tsunami, a second quake has now left many even more traumatized. A 7.4magnitude earthquake struck last Thursday, April 8, 20ll, registering as the strongest aftershock since last months devastating quake magnitude quake that shook the country. The horror of Japan’s tsunami has raised concerns over the long-term impact on children, some of whom are already displaying signs of trauma, from screaming nightmares to silent withdrawal.
Natural disasters can be especially traumatic for children and youth. Experiencing a dangerous or violent flood, storm, wildfire, or earthquake is frightening even for adults, and the devastation to the familiar environment can be long lasting and distressing. Often an entire community is impacted, further undermining a child’s sense of security and normalcy. These factors present a variety of unique issues and coping challenges, including issues associated with specific types of natural disasters, the need to relocate when home and/or community have been destroyed, the role of the family in lessening or exacerbating the trauma, emotional reactions, and coping techniques.
Children look to adults for guidance on how to deal and cope once the immediate threat of danger is over in any disaster or conflict situation. Therefore not only do parents have a crucial role to play, but so do schools, who can help play an important role in this process by providing a stable, familiar environment. Through the support of caring adults school personnel can help children return to normal activities and routines, and provide an opportunity to transform a frightening event into a learning experience.
Immediate response efforts should emphasize teaching effective coping strategies, fostering supportive relationships, and helping children understand the disaster event. Collaboration between the school crisis response team and an assortment of community, state, and federal organizations and agencies is necessary to respond to the many needs of children, families, and communities following a natural disaster. Healing in the aftermath of a natural disaster takes time; however, advanced preparation and immediate response will facilitate subsequent coping and healing.
According to the charity Save the Children, around 100,000 children were displaced by what has become Japan’s worst natural disaster since 1923, with nearly 20,000 people dead or missing.
“We’ve already spoken to children having nightmares and unable to sleep. They’re frightened of the sea, because they believe it’s going to come back. They’re frightened of being indoors because the building shook so violently during the earthquake. So there’s absolutely a chance that these children will have serious difficulties in coming to terms with what happened to them,” says Save the Children’s Andrew Wander (CNN).
Most children will be able to cope over time with the help of parents and other caring adults. However, some children may be at risk of more extreme reactions. The severity of children’s reactions will depend on their specific risk factors. These include exposure to the actual event, personal injury or loss of a loved one, dislocation from their home or community, level of parental support, the level of physical destruction, and pre-existing risks, such as a previous traumatic experience or mental illness. Symptoms may differ depending on age but can include:
Thumb sucking, Bedwetting, Clinging to parents or others, Sleep disturbances, Loss of appetite, Fear of the dark, Regression in current age approriated behavior, Withdrawal from friends and routines. Irritability, Aggressiveness, Nightmares, Avoidance of school, activities or withdrawl from friends, Poor concentration, Sleeping and eating disturbancesgitation, Increase in conflicts or general delinquent behaviors, Complaints of physical pain, and poor concentration.
A minority of children may be at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Symptoms can include those listed above, exhibited over an extended period of time. Other symptoms may include re-experiencing the disaster during play and/or dreams; anticipating or feeling that the disaster is happening again; avoiding reminders of the disaster; general numbness to emotional topics; and increased arousal symptoms such as inability to concentrate and startle reactions. Although rare, some adolescents may also be at increased risk of suicide if they suffer from serious mental health problems like PTSD or depression. Students who exhibit these symptoms should be referred for appropriate mental health evaluation and intervention.
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