Mental Health Among Children Older than 10  Years Exposed to the Haiti 2010 Earthquake: a Critical Review

AbstractPurpose of ReviewThere 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 FindingsTwenty-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.SummaryThe 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.
Source: Current Psychiatry Reports - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research