Psychosocial Impacts of Disasters on Child Development
Summary
Disasters – whether natural events such as hurricanes, earthquakes and floods, or human‐made crises including pandemics and conflict – exert profound psychosocial effects on children’s development. Exposure to life‐threatening circumstances and loss of security can precipitate a range of emotional and behavioural disturbances, from posttraumatic stress symptoms and anxiety to depressive states and conduct problems. Disruptions to schooling, peer networks and family stability often compound these difficulties, with caregivers’ own distress exerting further influence on child outcomes. At the same time, research highlights the role of protective factors such as social support, adaptive coping strategies and well‐resourced community interventions in fostering resilience. Longitudinal findings indicate that early interventions targeting traumatic reactions, family functioning and peer relationships can mitigate long‐term impairments in cognition, emotion regulation and social competence. The global scale of climate change, displacement and emerging health threats underscores the urgency of integrated policies that promote mental health screening, accessible psychosocial services and community‐based preparation programmes to safeguard the developmental trajectories of children exposed to disaster.
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Psychosocial Impacts of Disasters on Child Development publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in psychosocial impacts of disasters on child development across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS): emotional and physiological reactions following exposure to a traumatic event, including intrusive recollections, hyperarousal and avoidance behaviours.
Internalising behaviours: inwardly directed emotional difficulties such as anxiety, depression and social withdrawal.
Externalising behaviours: outwardly directed conduct problems, including aggression, hyperactivity and defiance.
Perceived life threat (PLT): a child’s subjective belief that their life or the life of a family member is in danger during a disaster.
Resilience: the dynamic process by which children adapt positively and recover from adverse experiences, underpinned by individual, relational and community resources.
References
- Perceived life threat in children during the COVID-19 pandemic: associations with posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health (2024).
- Psychosocial interventions for children and adolescents after man-made and natural disasters: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Psychological Medicine (2017).
- Disaster Preparation and Recovery: Lessons from Research on Resilience in Human Development. Ecology and Society (2008).
- A Meta‐Analysis of the Impact of Natural Disasters on Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Youth. Journal of Traumatic Stress (2018).
- Family functioning in the aftermath of a natural disaster. BMC Psychiatry (2012).
- The relationship between social support and posttraumatic stress symptoms among youth exposed to a natural disaster. European Journal of Psychotraumatology (2018).
- Coping and Post-Traumatic Stress in Children and Adolescents after an Acute Onset Disaster: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2021).
- Effects of extreme weather events on child mood and behavior. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (2021).
- Social-Ecological Factors Associated With Higher Levels of Resilience in Children and Youth After Disaster: The Importance of Caregiver and Peer Support. Frontiers in Public Health (2021).
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