Psychological Impact of the Tsunami on Children and Adolescents From the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Abstract

Only a few of the primary and secondary survivors required intensive individual psychiatric interventions; however, a majority of the primary, secondary, and tertiary survivors required community-based group interventions. Community-based group interventions and group discussions are simple, easy to implement using local resources, and effective in all groups, and provide important components of psychosocial rehabilitation. This kind of approach should be started as early as possible, targeting all children and adolescents affected by any disaster in developing countries.

Long-term mental health outcomes following the 2004 Asian tsunami disaster

“…Anxiety disorders are common in the victims of natural disasters. 52 - 54 In this study anxiety symptoms were estimated to be prevalent in 23.1% of the sample studied; with the DEG having significantly higher proportion than the IEG. Various sociodemographic and disaster related factors e.g., being unmarried, lower SES, perception of disaster as extremely stressful, physical injury during disaster, life threatening injuries, injury of family members, death in family and loss of livelihood and livestock were significantly associated with the anxiety symptoms.…”

Disaster Management: Mental Health Perspective

“…[ 26 ] Most commonly noted mental health problems during the initial phase among the Asian tsunami survivours were as follows in Table 1 . [ 1 12 36 ]…”

“…These include art therapy; informal education; group discussions; drama; structuring of daily activities; engaging in activities such as yoga, meditation, prayers, relaxation, sports, and games; spiritual activities; providing factual information; educating parents and teachers. [ 36 46 ] They were intended to provide important components of psychosocial rehabilitation such as normalizing, stabilizing, socializing, defusing of emotions and feelings, and restoration of a sense of identification with others and of safety and security. [ 13 ] These will not only help in the recovery of milder and sub-syndromal symptoms, but also in the prevention of adverse mental health consequences.…”

“…Non-specific community based interventions plays major role in fostering the healing process. These intervention include, structuring of daily activities; avoiding displacement; fostering the family, cultural and religious rituals; group discussions; validation of the emotions of the survivor's experience and also survivor's guilt; providing factual information; educating parents and teachers; engaging the children in various informal education methods with innovative ideas like drawing, sketching, singing, miming and so forth by using available community resources; engaging the adult survivours in camp activities like cooking, cleaning and assisting in relief work; to start schools in the disaster affected area at the earliest so that normalisation and structuring of the daily activities occurs in children[ 36 ]; at least to initiate informal education; teaching simple sleep hygiene techniques; educating survivours about harmful effect of substance use; community-based-group interventions can be planned like art therapy (painting/drawing), group discussions, dramas, storytelling, structuring their day, engaging in activities, prayers, yoga, relaxation, and sports/games; stress management of the relief worker is essential; engaging the willing survivors in spiritual activities and involving the survivors in re-building their community is essential. [ 12 36 ] These non-specific interventions not only help the high-risk population but also the affected disaster general population.…”

Psychiatric and Medical Disorders in the after Math of the Uttarakhand Disaster: Assessment, Approach, and Future Challenges

“…Math et al . [ 9 ] had reported that interventions such as art therapy, informal education, group discussions, dramas, story-telling, activity scheduling, yoga, relaxation, sports/games, providing factual information, and educating parents and teachers can help in a number of ways. These kinds of activities are simple, easy to implement using local resources, effective in all groups and provide important components of psychosocial rehabilitation such as normalizing, stabilizing, socializing, defusing emotions and feelings, sense of identification with others, restoring sense of safety and security, allowing normal healing process and hope for the future.…”