The Mental Health Consequences of Hurricane Matthew on Haitian Children and Youth: An Exploratory Study

AbstractHaiti has experienced many major natural disasters in the past decade that included Hurricane Matthew which led to mass damage to property, a depletion of basic resources, human fatalities and injuries, and mental health consequences that affected the poorest. The current study focused on the psychological effects of Hurricane Matthew on Haitian children and adolescents. Children display heightened depression, and PTSD symptoms in the aftermath of disasters (Hausman et al., Journal of Family Psychology 34:836 –845,2020), however, the researchers anticipated that children living in orphanages would display more severe mental health symptoms than those living with their families, because of their additional stressor of family loss.  Using a convenience sample, quantitative data was collected using several instruments, in a survey format, that were individually administered to a sample of 77 adolescents. Participants had high depressive scores and reported multiple adverse events and limited access to basic needs. In comparin g subgroups, we found children who were in orphanages reported significantly fewer adverse childhood experiences than those living with their families. This is likely because orphanages in Haiti consistently provide children with a safe and stable environment, buffering them against the traumatic ef fects of disasters. In contrast, children living with their families reported witnessing or experiencing interpersonal violence, neglect and abuse i...
Source: Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma - Category: Child Development Source Type: research