The effects of a natural disaster on child behavior

A prospective study of children examined both before and after a flood disaster in Bangladesh is used to test the hypothesis that stressful events play a causal role in the development of behavioral disorders in children.

 Six months before the disaster, structured measures of selected behavioral problems were made during an epidemiological study of disability among 2- to 9-year-old children. Five months after the disaster, a representative sample of 162 surviving children was reevaluated. 

 Between the pre- and post-flood assessments, the prevalence of aggressive behavior increased from zero to nearly 10%, and 45 of the 134 children who had bladder control before the flood (34%) developed enuresis. 

 These results help define what may be considered symptoms of post traumatic distress in childhood; they also contribute to mounting evidence of the need to develop and evaluate interventions aimed at ameliorating the behavioral and psychological consequences of children's exposure to extreme and traumatic situations.

Child Development & Public Health

Mental Health&Family

When a parent has a mental illness, there may be times when they can’t give their children the love and care they need. They might find it hard to stick to a routine and do things like cook meals, do the washing or help with homework. Children can get distressed and confused when a parent behaves in ways that are hard to understand.

They may worry that they will get hurt or that their parent will hurt themselves. Mental health of families is meaningful to me because it’s something that affects relationship and that cause distress for the rest of the family. Most times attention is been paid more on the person with mental health more than the rest of the family. Other family members are usually overwhelm with the situation. Children living in households where a parent has a severe mental health problem are more likely to live in poverty - only 24% of adults with long term mental health problem are in paid employment.

There is only one psychiatrist for every 400,000 people in India – one of the lowest ratios anywhere in the world. But even if there were more, marginalised people in India may remain more likely to turn to temples and faith healers than mental health professionals. Mental disorders remain shrouded in social suffering, discrimination and humiliation. Women are often abandoned to institutions with no prospect of returning home. This is both a public health and cultural issue.

The reasons for these attitudes are complex and varied, and are deeply embedded within local cultures. Yet there is not a single text book of psychiatry in India that is based upon local problems including ethnic conflicts, poverty, dowry deaths, farmer suicides, corruption, etc.

As children’s advocates in this field this information will help us in future to provide support and dignity for carers and families.

Sushrut. J, UCL UCL Cultural Consultation Service & International links Reinventing India’sMental Health Care retrieved from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ccs/International_activities/mental_health_care