Youth Resilience Corps: An Innovative Model to Engage Youth in Building Disaster Resilience

The psychological impact of the Turkey-Syria earthquake on children: addressing the need for ongoing mental health support and global humanitarian response

This letter aims to explore the potential impact of the Turkey-Syria earthquake on the psychological well-being of the affected children and adolescents. It emphasises the crucial importance of prompt identification and management of emerging mental health disorders in this vulnerable population. The letter draws on existing research evidence to highlight the need for suitable mental health interventions to mitigate the anticipated suffering of many children and adolescents affected by the earthquake. A comprehensive overview of the mediating factors which may play a role in the extent of the impact of an earthquake on the mental health of children is discussed. A range of appropriate strategies and interventions are recommended and the call for continued global support is renewed. We have concluded that major earthquakes can potentially contribute to the development of mental health disorders among children and adolescents. However, by providing timely and effective support, it is possible to prevent long-term psychological consequences and facilitate early recovery. We propose the urgent implementation of effective mental health interventions in the aftermath of the Turkey-Syria earthquake to foster the recovery and resilience of the affected young population.

A scoping review of youth and young adults' roles in natural disaster mitigation and response: considerations for youth wellbeing during a global ecological crisis

BACKGROUND

Youth and young adults, ages 15-29, have been identified as assets in mitigation and management for natural disasters around the world. This study reviews the literature on disaster mitigation, response, and recovery following natural disasters with a focus on the engagement of youth and young adults.

METHODS

The Arksey and O'Malley (2005) scoping review model was used to broadly summarize existing literature. A comprehensive electronic search was conducted using several databases. Keywords and index terms were searched using four concepts: (a) age (e.g., youth, young adult), (b) participation type (e.g., engagement, participation), (c) natural disaster type (e.g., hurricane, tsunami), and (d) disaster response type (e.g., planning, mitigation).

RESULTS

The search yielded 214 articles published between 1990 and 2021. Of these articles, 19 met inclusion criteria. Identified literature focused on youth and young adults' mitigation and recovery efforts responding to natural disasters in several different countries. Themes of young people's participation or youth-led efforts focused on community mobilization and resilience (n = 5), youth empowerment and policy advocacy (n = 2), communication technology (n = 2), education-community partnerships (n = 9), and postdisaster rescue efforts (n = 1).

CONCLUSIONS

With a changing climate and increased weather-related natural disasters, as well as in the context of a global health pandemic, community-based groups would benefit from learning from international efforts to engage young people in disaster mitigation and recovery efforts especially as it relates to promoting mental health and well-being.

Disaster Risk Reduction in Iranian Primary and Secondary School Textbooks: A Content Analysis

OBJECTIVE

School textbooks have a significant role in transferring knowledge to the students and changing their behavior. This work aims to analyze school textbooks to find the representation of natural hazards in Iran, which is vital for supporting children in disaster situations.

METHODS

In this study, a qualitative content analysis was used. Data were analyzed qualitatively by using MAXQDA 2018 software. For the 2019-2020 school year, 300 Iranian school textbooks in Persian language were collected.

RESULTS

Findings of this work show that students receive information about disaster risk reduction (DRR) education through the primary and secondary grade levels in all 12 grades. The educational content covers various types of natural hazards, including geophysical, hydrological, climatological, meteorological, and biological disasters. In addition, the textbooks contain discussions about local hazards, causes and effects of disasters, and the disaster management cycle.

CONCLUSIONS

The coverage of DRR and the relevant contents in school textbooks reveals that the discourse of natural hazards is important for Iranian authorities, especially in the education system. This study helps decision-makers and practitioners design more effective interventions to prepare children for disasters.

Domains and Indicators of Resilient Children in Natural Disasters: A Systematic Literature Review

Resilience has received increased attention among both practitioners and scholars in recent years. Child resilience has received notable attention in disaster risk reduction (DRR) during the creation of the Sendai Framework 2015-2030 to improve child protection in the event of disasters. As resilience is a subjective concept with a variety of definitions, this study evaluates its different factors and determinates in the existing research to clarify the path for the near future and objective research. A systematic literature review was conducted by searching and selecting the peer-reviewed papers published in four main international electronic databases including PubMed, SCOPUS, WEB OF SCIENCE, and PsycINFO to answer the research question: "What are the criteria, factors or indicators for child resilience in the context of a natural disaster?" The process was based on PRISMA guidelines. In total, 28 papers out of 1838 were selected and evaluated using thematic analysis. The results are shown in two separate tables: one descriptive and the other analytical. Two main themes and five subthemes for criteria for child resilience in a disaster have been found. The factors found cover the following areas: mental health, spiritual health, physical, social behavior, and ecological, and as well as environmental. The majority of the included studies mentioned the scattered criteria about children resilience without any organized category. Although this concept is multifactorial, additional research is needed to develop this study and also observe other kinds of disasters such as human-made disasters.