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 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 comfort  Soothing, simple emotion regulation  Basic needs  (Regaining a) sense of control or mastery  Approach coping  Support: family, school, peer, other  Optimism/hope  Promoting a future temporal orientation  While 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 interventions  More 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 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 principles  See our book & website

Practice, Research, Making Contact If you are doing research or practice in this area, make contact: We have resources available including measures, good practice principles & other resources

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