lkjj child and family resilience to disasters kevin ronan
TRANSCRIPT
lkjj
Child and Family Resilience to Disasters
Kevin Ronan
Outline
Child and family vulnerability in disasters
Response & Recovery
Prevention & Preparedness
Getting involved
Child & Family Vulnerability
Children are a vulnerable group
- After disasters- Including more benign events
- Mount Ruapehu eruption 1995
- Before disasters- Disasters as major fear in childhood
Response & Recovery
• Reactions & Risk following hazardous events– For majority, expect normal recovery– Children a vulnerable group
• Prominent risk factors for children
• Helping: Education and intervention– Early to later forms of support: Stepped Care– Increasing child and family self-sufficiency
• Reducing risk factors• Increasing protective factors
Child & Family: Important Protective Factors
Reduced arousal & sense of comfortSoothing, simple emotion regulation Basic needs
(Regaining a) sense of control or mastery
Approach coping
Support: family, school, peer, other
Optimism/hopePromoting a future temporal orientationWhile still dealing directly with events
Response & Recovery Interventions
A continuum from self-help to more intensive forms of support should be provided within a clear referral and assessment framework that is coordinated through inter-agency cooperation.
Stepped Care
Response & Recovery Interventions: Different Modalities in a Stepped Care Model
Early intervention (Level 1)Psychological First Aid Self-help & education
Later steps (Level 2 & 3)School & group interventionsMore intensive child & family interventions
Early Interventions for Children
• The message for children in early intervention– Keep it simple & consistent
– Educate, normalise & promote natural recovery
– Promote protective factors• Including simple coping messages aimed at re-
gaining a sense of control• Emphasise support availability
Additional Issues for Parents & Other Adults
Children need to feel looked after
Children need predictability, consistency, sense of safety
Children look to adults for support and as coping models-parents as particularly crucial
Additional Messages for Families & Schools
• The importance of:
• Creating safe, consistent, predictable environments for kids
• Modeling & helping children attend to basics (routines, eating, sleeping, activities)
• Modeling & providing support, warmth • Modeling & promoting patience and sense of
control
Main Messages for Adults
• Promote & model active coping within supportive school & home environments– “This was a terrible thing that happened, but we as a ....
(family, school) are going to deal with this... and we are also going to make sure you are looked after as we do”
• Emphasise to adults their role in child coping– “As we as adults go, so too our children”– Thus, school intervention with kids needs
accompanying messages for adults
More Intensive Interventions: Screening & Intervention
For more intensive school/group and child or family interventions, children and families at high-risk can be identified and offered follow-up services provided by trained and approved community- or school-level providers
1. School/Group: Our Mount Ruapehu Research: 7 Month Study
2. Child/family: Our CBT & TF- CBT interventions
Back to the Beginning: Prevention as the Best Form of Cure
Our research focus also emphasises helping children, families, schools and communities become more resilient prior to a disaster
- since 1996
Community Preparedness: Overall Findings
Low levels of community preparedness Though most believe prep a good idea
Including in high hazard areas How do we increase readiness to
prepare? Readiness to change starts
with motivation
Increasing motivation to prepare: Why kids?
Children are a motivational reservoir in a community
50 – 60% of home settings have a school aged young person
Having a child in a household Increases adults’ intention to prepare
Why kids?
Children & families are a high risk group following disasters– Disasters are also a major fear of children
Children are adults of the future
Increasing motivation: Summary
Having kids in a household increases adults’ intention to prepare
– In CQ, around the world
But, equally having kids doesn’t guarantee increased prep
– CQ survey findings
One issue then is one of turning beliefs & good intentions to action
– Through education programs
Hazards education programs
Teaching kids about hazardous events and risk mitigation
Range from simple reading and discussion programs
To emergency management-focused To different aspects of curricula
– Science– Geography– SOSE
Hazards education programs: Do they work?
Overall findings– Research in NZ– Research in Australia
• Including in Canberra with 12-18 yr olds from disadvantaged backgrounds
Hazards education programs: Specific findings
Increases in awareness and knowledge Increase in “hazards discussions” Increases in emotional resilience Increases in child & home preparedness
for hazardous events– Increase in number of parent-reported home
prep activities by over 6 per household
Education programs: Evidence supported elements
Emergency management focused programs better than reading and discussion only programs Providing specific guidance is useful
But, even reading and discussion programs have been shown to produce significant benefits
Education programs: Evidence supported elements II
Multiple programs over time produce enhanced effectiveness– Be mindful also of a single program’s “half
life” effect
Link the program to home– Simple, interactive homework – Emphasise family plan
How Can We as Psychologists Help
Get training
Be part of a coordinated effort linked to emergency management network in your community
Advocate for good practice principlesSee our book & website
Practice, Research, Making ContactIf you are doing research or practice in this area, make
contact:
• We have resources available including measures, good practice principles & other resources
www.hazardseducation.org
Psychological First Aid
Philosophy Main Principles & Elements
Protection, Safety & Comfort Stabilisation & Arousal Reduction Information Gathering: Current Needs & Concerns Assist Coping/Re-establishing Routines Connection with Social & Emotional Support Advocacy, Routing & Referral
No Research Findings as Yet Trial in the US
Prevention & Preparedness
Rationale for primary prevention approach Representative research in Central
Queensland
Central Queensland Research (Ronan & Crellin, 2009)
• Main findings• 90% of 1208 adult participants believed
preparation useful• 92% believed preparation reduced
hazard risks• Less than 50% reported a home
emergency plan for any hazard• Likely an overestimate