Examining the Aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans: A Qualitative Study of Faculty and Staff Perceptions

Abstract

Researchers have reported how Hurricane Katrina has affected teachers who work with Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12), yet little is known about how the natural disaster has affected other important K-12 faculty and staff (e.g., coaches, librarians, school counselors, and cafeteria workers). Missing from the literature is the impact that this natural disaster has had on these formal (school counselors) and informal (coaches, librarians) helpers of K-12 students. Using a focus group methodology, the authors examined the aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina on 12 school employees in New Orleans, Louisiana, 18 months after the hurricane. Informed by qualitative content analysis, three emergent themes were identified: emotion-focused aftereffects, positive coping, and worry and fear. The implications for future research and promoting hope in mental health counseling are discussed.

The Mental Health Impacts of COVID-19 on PK–12 Students: A Systematic Review of Emerging Literature

“…When students returned to school, there was often high demand for mental health support, particularly in higher poverty contexts (Madrid et al, 2008). Compounding this increased demand, educators across the PK-12 spectrum reported higher levels of emotional distress when they returned to work (Burnham & Hooper, 2012). Taken…”

“…When students returned to school, there was often high demand for mental health support, particularly in higher poverty contexts (Madrid et al, 2008). Compounding this increased demand, educators across the PK–12 spectrum reported higher levels of emotional distress when they returned to work (Burnham & Hooper, 2012). Taken together, this suggests that schools might expect an increased demand for mental health support during and after COVID-19 with an educator workforce that is similarly overwhelmed.…”

Examining the relationship of age with fears among adolescents and young adults with and without intellectual disabilities

“…Results of the current study highlight the importance of examining and statistically acknowledging the form of the relationship between age and fear. As previous research has indicated the relationship of age with fear (Burnham and Gullone, 1997; Burnham and Hooper, 2012; Davidson et al , 1989; Gullone and King, 1992a, 1992b), this form of the relationship should be acknowledged in subsequent analyses. Results also present a conceptualization of fear with some fears being considered as potentially productive fears as it relates to independent living,…”

“…Previous research has indicated a relationship between age and fear among children (Burnham and Gullone, 1997; Burnham and Hooper, 2012; Davidson et al , 1989; Gullone and King, 1992a, 1992b) but has not examined the form of this relationship across children and definitely not according to disability status. The results of the current study indicate that the relationship between age and fear take relatively the same form, a logarithmic one for adolescents and young adults with and without intellectual disabilities for both potentially productive fear scores and other fear scores.…”

“…It is well documented that as age increases, fears generally decrease (Burnham and Gullone, 1997; Burnham and Hooper, 2012; Davidson et al , 1989; Gullone and King, 1992a, 1992b). However, the exact form of this relationship is unknown, other than it appears to be somewhat inverse across child development.…”