This review of the literature, drawing primarily from the fields of economics, public health, and psychiatry, focused on the impacts of natural disasters on children. The research chosen for this review presented empirical findings, not theory. Results confirmed the understanding that children are disproportionately impacted by natural disasters and that the effects are often long lasting. It was also estimated that within a ten-year period (2008-2018) up to 175 million children would be negatively affected by weather-related disasters connected to climate change.
Research on the topic of disasters and children is almost exclusively limited to three impact areas: physical health, mental health, and educational attainment/achievement. The negative impact in each of these areas was found to have both short- and long-term consequences for many children. The physical health concerns included – not only injuries and death – but also malnutrition caused by disruptions in food supply, diarrheal illness caused by contaminated water, and other illnesses due to lack of medical care. A range of negative birth outcomes was also found to be associated with natural disasters which, in many cases, impacted several generations.
Many children experiencing natural disasters developed mental health problems. They were dealing with, not only the stress and trauma of the disaster itself, but for many, the loss of home and possessions and, in some cases, their parents and other members of their families, as well. Additionally, many children witnessed their parents undergo extreme stress and their neighborhoods and social networks breaking down.
Children's education was also disrupted by natural disasters. Families were often displaced, schools destroyed, and children pushed into the labor force to help their families' economic situation.
This review also identified some strategies proven to be effective in mitigating the harm of natural disasters for children. Physical harm was prevented or minimized in some cases by strengthening the structure of school buildings and houses. Quickly reuniting children with their parents and caregivers was proven to be another effective strategy for reducing the physical and mental harm to children experiencing a natural disaster.
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