Helping Children Cope With Disasters and Terrorism offers psychotherapists and others involved in emergency response the most comprehensive, up-to-date information available on the immediate and lasting effects of trauma on children and adolescents. Until recently, it was assumed that children do not display significant clinical reactions in the aftermath of disasters or, if they do, the reactions are fleeting and leave no emotional scars. Yet, as volume editors Annette M. La Greca, Wendy K. Silverberg, Eric M. Vernberg, and Michael C. Roberts demonstrate, children and adolescents do have significant reactions that can interfere with their current and future psychological adjustment. Who is most at risk, and what can be done to help?
This book reviews the research and intervention literature on a broad range of natural and man-made disasters, from floods and house-fires to acts of terrorism and war. Chapter authors document children's reactions, identifying factors that may predict or, alternatively, buffer against severe trauma responses. Descriptions of preparatory and post-disaster coping materials and interventions developed for use with children are included. In addition to setting the research agenda and paving the way for theory and model building in this evolving field, this volume has a strong practical emphasis, offering strategies for when and how to intervene, based on clinical observation and empirical evidence.
Contributors
Preface
Introduction
I. General Conceptual and Key Issues
- Children Experiencing Disasters: Definitions, Reactions, and Predictors of Outcomes
—Wendy K. Silverman and Annette M. La Greca - Assessment of Children and Adolescents Exposed to Disaster
—Conway Saylor and Virginia DeRoma - Intervention Approaches Following Disasters
—Eric M. Vernberg - Multicultural Issues in the Response of Children to Disasters
—Aline E. Rabalais, Kenneth J. Ruggiero, and Joseph R. Scotti
II. Natural Disasters
- Hurricanes and Earthquakes
—Annette M. La Greca and Mitchell J. Prinstein - Wilderness Area and Wildfire Disasters: Insights From a Child and Adolescent Screening Program
—Brett M. McDermott and Lyle J. Palmer - Floods
—Gerard A. Jacobs, Jorge V. Boero, Randal P. Quevillon, Elizabeth Todd-Bazemore, Teri L. Elliott, and Gilbert Reyes - Residential Fires
—Russell T. Jones and Thomas H. Ollendick
III: Human-Made and Technological Disasters
- Toxic Waste Spills and Nuclear Accidents
—Minhnoi C. Wroble and Andrew Baum - Mass Transportation Disasters
—William Yule, Orlee Udwin, and Derek Bolton - Dam Break: Long-Term Follow-Up of Children Exposed to the Buffalo Creek Disaster
—Mindy Korol, Teresa L. Kramer, Mary C. Grace, and Bonnie L. Green - The Traumatic Impact of Motor Vehicle Accidents
—Joseph R. Scotti, Kenneth J. Ruggiero, and Aline E. Rabalais
IV. Acts of Violence
- Shootings, Hostage Takings, and Children
—Kathleen Nader and Christine Mello - The Aftermath of Terrorism
—Robin H. Gurwitch, Karen A. Sitterle, Bruce H. Young, and Betty Pfefferbaum - Children Under Stress of War
—Avigdor Klingman - Children's Exposure to Community Violence
—Janis B. Kupersmidt, Ariana Shahinfar, and Mary Ellen Voegler-Lee
V. Conclusions and Implications
- Children and Disasters: Future Directions for Research and Public Policy
—Annette M. La Greca, Wendy K. Silverman, Eric M. Vernberg, and Michael C. Roberts
Index
About the Editors
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