Judite Blanc1, Dominique Eugene2,3, Elizabeth Farrah Louis2, Jeff Matherson Cadichon4, Jolette Joseph4, Anderson Pierre4, Roudly Laine4, Margarett Alexandre5, Keng-Yen Huang6. 1. Division of Health and Behavior, Department of Population Health, Center for Healthful Behavior Change, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 180 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA. Judite.Blanc@nyulangone.org. 2. Fogarty International Center and National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA. 3. Children's System of Care, Monterey County Behavioral Health Bureau, Salinas, CA, USA. 4. Université d'État d'Haïti, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. 5. Department of Nursing, York College City University of New York, New York, USA. 6. Population Health and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Center for Early Childhood Health & Development (CEHD), Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, USA.
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There is evidence that the exposure to a major natural disaster such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti may have devastating short- and long-term effects on children's mental health and overall development. This review summarizes what has been reported in the past 3 years (2017-2020) regarding emotional, psychological, and behavioral effects of exposure to this particular earthquake on children 10 years and older. RECENT FINDINGS: Twenty-six articles were screened, of which twenty-one were selected for final analysis. The main themes addressed in the literature over the 3 years concerned prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, determinants of resilience factors, prevalence of sexual violence as well as prenatal exposure, and subsequent autism behaviors/symptoms. The majority of the findings analyzed in this review on mental health in young Haitian survivors of the 2010 earthquake came from cross-sectional studies conducted in West region of Haiti, spefically Port-au-Prince. There was a paucity of longitudinal and translational data available. The results of this critical review can be used to inform disaster preparedness programs with the aim of protecting children's development and mental health, which are much needed on this disaster-prone island.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There is evidence that the exposure to a major natural disaster such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti may have devastating short- and long-term effects on children's mental health and overall development. This review summarizes what has been reported in the past 3 years (2017-2020) regarding emotional, psychological, and behavioral effects of exposure to this particular earthquake on children 10 years and older. RECENT FINDINGS: Twenty-six articles were screened, of which twenty-one were selected for final analysis. The main themes addressed in the literature over the 3 years concerned prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, determinants of resilience factors, prevalence of sexual violence as well as prenatal exposure, and subsequent autism behaviors/symptoms. The majority of the findings analyzed in this review on mental health in young Haitian survivors of the 2010 earthquake came from cross-sectional studies conducted in West region of Haiti, spefically Port-au-Prince. There was a paucity of longitudinal and translational data available. The results of this critical review can be used to inform disaster preparedness programs with the aim of protecting children's development and mental health, which are much needed on this disaster-prone island.
Entities:
Keywords:
Behavioral impairments; Children; Emotional; Haiti 2010 earthquake; Psychological
Authors: David J Grelotti; Margaret E Gerbasi; Eddy Eustache; J Reginald Fils-Aimé; Tatiana Thérosmé; Jennifer Severe; Giuseppe J Raviola; Sarah Darghouth; Rupinder Legha; Ermaze L Pierre; Emmeline Affricot; Yoldie Alcindor; Katherine Boyd; Anne E Becker; Mary C Smith Fawzi Journal: Psychiatry Res Date: 2018-08-18 Impact factor: 3.222