This Web site is a component of the SAMHSA Health Information Network

Enter search keyword Choose search category This Site Mental Health at HHS All Mental Health

SAMHSA DTAC Contact SAMHSA DTAC SAMHSA DTAC Resources Education and Training FEMA Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program Funding Information CMHS Home CSAT Home CSAP Home  CMHS Programs:   Go to... Children's Campaign Community Support Emergency Services Financing HIV/AIDS Homelessness Managing Anxiety Mental Health Statistics Protection & Advocacy Special Programs State Planning Traumatic Events Suicide Prevention Programs Homepage  CMHS Activities:   Go to... 15+ School Violence Stigma Suicide Prevention Surgeon General

printer friendly page e-mail this page bookmark this page shopping cart  current or new account

This Web site is a component of the SAMHSA Health Information Network.

Disasters and Children

Prepared by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC), ESI, under contract with the Emergency Mental Health and Traumatic Stress Services Branch, SAMHSA.

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

Arp, D. (2002). Helping children cope in a violent world. Healthplan. 43(4):26-8.

Baker, D.R. (2002). A public health approach to the needs of children affected by terrorism. Journal of the American Medical Women's Association. 57(2):117-8, 121.

Barber Starr, N. (2002). Helping children and families deal with psychological aspects of disaster. Journal of Pediatric Health Care. 16(1):36-9.

Beauchesne, M.A., Kelley, B.R., Patsdaughter, C.A., and Pickard, J. (2002). Attack on America: Children's reactions and parents' responses. Journal of Pediatric Health Care. 16(5):213-21.

Bonnerjea, L. (1994). Disasters, family tracing and children's rights: Some uestions about the best interests of separated children. Disasters. 18(3):277-83.

Boyden, J. (1994). Children's experience of conflict related emergencies: Some implications for relief policy and practice. Disasters. 18(3):54-67.

Breton, J.J., Valla, J.P., and Lambert, J. (1993). Industrial disaster and mental health of children and their parents.

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 32(2):438-45.

Bromet, E.J., Goldgaber, D., Carlson, G., Panina, N., Golovakha, E., Gluzman, S.F., Gilbert, T., Gluzman, D., Lyubsky, S., and Schwartz, J.E. (2000). Children's well-being 11 years after the Chornobyl catastrophe. Archives of General Psychiatry. 57(6):563-71.

Broughton, B.K. (2002). Assessing children's responses to terrorism. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing. 7(1):4.

Clements Jr., P.T. (2001). Terrorism in America: How do we tell the children? Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services. 39(11):8-10.

Coffman, S. (1998). Children's reactions to disaster. Journal of Pediatric Nursing. 13(6):376-82.

Coffman, S. (1996). Parents' struggles to rebuild family life after Hurricane Andrew. Issues in Mental Health Nursing. 17(4):353-67.

Coffman, S. (1994). Children describe life after Hurricane Andrew. Pediatric Nursing. 20(4):363-8, 375.

Cohen, J.A. (2003). Treating acute posttraumatic reactions in children and adolescents. Biological Psychiatry. 53(9):827-33.

Cournos, F. (2002). The trauma of profound childhood loss: A personal and professional perspective. Psychiatric Quarterly. 73(2):145-56.

Deering, C.G. (2000). A cognitive developmental approach to understanding how children cope with disasters. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing. 13(1):7-16.

Denehy, J. (2002). Supporting children through these uncertain times. The Journal of School Nursing. 18(1):1-2.

Foster, R.L. (2001). Assessing children's responses to terrorism. Journal of the Society of Pediatric Nurses. 6(4):159-60.

Goodman, R.F., Brown, E.J., and Courtney, M. (2002). Helping children affected by trauma and death. The Harvard Mental Health Letter. 18(12):4-5.

Green, B.L., Grace, M.C., Vary, M.G., Kramer, T.L., Gleser, G.C., and Leonard, A.C. (1994). Children of disaster in the second decade: A 17-year follow-up of Buffalo Creek survivors. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 33(1):71-9.

Hanze, D. (2002). How to help children and adolescents deal with the threat of terrorism. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing. 7(1):42-4.

Harbison, S. and Novak, J.C. (2002). Bioterrorism, children, and the United States' health and security. Journal of Pediatric Health Care. 16(5):265-6.

Hoven, C.W., Duarte, C.S., and Mandell, D.J. (2003). Children's mental health after disasters: The impact of the World Trade Center attack. Current Psychiatry Reports. 5(2):101-7.

Jeney-Gammon, P., Daugherty, T.K., Finch Jr., A.J., Belter, R.W., and Foster, K.Y. (1993). Children's coping styles and report of depressive symptoms following a natural disaster. The Journal of Genetic Psychology. 154(2):259-67.

Jones, R.T., Ribbe, D.P., Cunningham, P.B., Weddle, J.D., and Langley, A.K. (2002). Psychological impact of fire disaster on children and their parents. Behavior Modification. 26(2):163-86.

Klingman, A., (2001). Israeli children's reactions to the assassination of the Prime Minister. Death Studies. 25(1):33-49.

Koplewicz, H.S., Vogel, J.M., Solanto, M.V., Morrissey, R.F., Alonso, C.M., Abikoff, H., Gallagher, R., and Novick, R.M. (2002). Child and parent response to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 15(1):77-85.

La Greca, A., Silverman, W.K., Vernberg, E.M., and Prinstein, M.J. (1996). Symptoms of posttraumatic stress in children after Hurricane Andrew: A prospective study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 64(4):712-23.

Laor, N., Wolmer, L., Spirman, S., and Wiener, Z. (2003). Facing war, terrorism, and disaster: Toward a child-oriented comprehensive emergency care system. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 12(2):343-61.

Leavitt, L.A. (2002). When terrible things happen: A parent's guide to talking with their children. Journal of Pediatric Health Care. 16(5):272-4.

Libow, J.A. (1992). Traumatized children and the news media: Clinical considerations. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. 62(3):379-86.

Lonigan, C.J., Shannon, M.P., Taylor, C.M., Finch Jr., A.J., and Sallee, F.R. (1994). Children Exposed to disaster: II. Risk factors for the development of post-traumatic symptomatology. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 33(1):94-105.

Luna, J.T. (2002). Collaborative assessment and healing in schools after large-scale terrorist attacks. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health. 4(3):201-8.

McDermott, B.M. and Palmer, L.J. (1999). Post-disaster service provision following proactive identification of children with emotional distress and depression. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 33(6):855-63.

McLellan, F. (2001). Psychologists warn of effects on bereaved children after US terrorist attack. Lancet. 358(9288):1168.

Melnyk, B.M., Feinstein, N.F., Tuttle, J., Moldenhauer, Z., Herendeen, P., Veenema, T.G., Brown, H., Gullo, S., McMurtie, M., and Small, L. (2002). Mental health worries, communication, and needs in the year of the U.S. terrorist attack: National KySS survey findings. Journal of Pediatric Health Care. 16(5):222-34.

Milgram, N. and Toubiana, Y.H. (1996). Children's selective coping after a bus disaster: Confronting behavior and perceived support. Journal of Traumatic Stress. 9(4):687-702.

Patt, H.A. and Feigin, R.D. (2002). Diagnosis and management of suspected cases of bioterrorism: A pediatric perspective. Pediatrics. 109(4):685-92.

Pfefferbaum, B., Sconzo, G.M., Flynn, B.W., Kearns, L.J., Doughty, D.E., Gurwitch, R.H., Nixon, S.J., and Nawaz, S. (2003). Case finding and mental health services for children in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research. 30(2):215-27.

Pfefferbaum, B., Doughty, D.E., Reddy, C., Patel, N., Gurwitch, R.H., Nixon, S.J., and Tivis, R.D. (2002). Exposure and peritraumatic response as predictors of posttraumatic stress in children following the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Journal of Urban Health. 79(3):354-63.

Pfefferbaum, B., Nixon, S.J., Tivis, R.D., Doughty, D.E., Pynoos, R.S., Gurwitch, R.H., and Foy, D.W. (2001). Television exposure in children after a terrorist incident. Psychiatry. 64(3):202-11.

Pfefferbaum, B. (1997). Posttraumatic stress disorder in children: A review of the past 10 years. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 36(11):1503-11.

Pine, D.S. and Cohen, J.A. (2002). Trauma in children and adolescents: Risk and treatment of psychiatric seuelae. Biological Psychiatry. 51(7):519-31.

Poster, E.C. (2002). Helping children respond to 9/11. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing. 15(2):43-7.

Pynoos, R.S., Goenjian, A.K., and Steinburg, A.M. (1998). A public mental health approach to the postdisaster treatment of children and adolescents. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 7(1):195-210.

Schonfeld, D.J. (2002). Almost one year later: Looking back and looking ahead. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. 23(4):292-4.

Seidman, R.Y., Hutchinson, B., Buckner, S.K., Myers, S.T., Miller-Boyle, D., MacRobert, M., and Heath, S. (1998). The response of children to disaster. The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing. 23(1):37-44.

Shaw, J.A., Applegate, B., and Schorr, C. (1996). Twenty-one month follow-up of school-age children exposed to Hurricane Andrew. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 35(3):359-64.

Spitalny, K., Gurian, A., and Goodman, R.F. (2002). Helping children and teens cope with traumatic events and death: The role of school health professionals. School Nurse News. 19(1):32-5.

Stoppelbein, L. and Greening, L. (2000). Posttraumatic stress symptoms in parentally bereaved children and adolescents. Journal of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 39(9):1112-9.

Stuber, J., Fairbrother, G., Galea, S., Pfefferbaum, B., Wilson-Genderson, M., and Vlahov, D. (2002). Determinants of counseling for children in Manhattan after the September 11 attacks. Psychiatric Services. 53(7):815-22.

Swick, S.D., Jellinek, M.S., Dechant, E., and Belluck, J. (2002). Children of victims of September 11th: A perspective on the emotional and developmental challenges they face and how to help meet them. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. 23(5):378-84.

Veenema, T.G. and Schroeder-Bruce, K. (2002). The aftermath of violence: Children, disaster, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Pediatric Health Care. 16(5):235-44.

Wolmer, L., Laor, N., and Yazgan, Y. (2003). School reactivation programs after disasters: Could teachers serve as clinical mediators? Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 12(2):363-81.

SAMHSA and Other Publications

SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center
Center for Mental Health Services
Age-specific Interventions at Home for Children in Trauma: From Preschool to Adolescence

SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center
Center for Mental Health Services
Cómo ayudar a los niñosa vérselas con el miedo y la ansiedad

SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center
Center for Mental Health Services
Helping Children Cope With Fear and Anxiety

SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center
Center for Mental Health Services
How Families Can Help Children Cope with Fear and Anxiety

SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center
Center for Mental Health Services
Reaction of Children to a Disaster

American Academy of Pediatrics
Family Readiness Kit: Preparing to Handle Disasters

National Institute of Mental Health
Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Violence and Disasters

State Program Materials

California FEMA Crisis Counseling Program
Coping Strategies for Adolescents After a Disaster

California FEMA Crisis Counseling Program
Helping Children After a Disaster

Florida FEMA Crisis Counseling Program
Checklist for Parents: Did the Disaster Affect Your Child?

Guam FEMA Crisis Counseling Program
Teaching Aids for Emotional Recovery After a Disaster

Missouri FEMA Crisis Counseling Program
Children's Responses to Trauma: Preschool Through Second Grade

Pennsylvania FEMA Crisis Counseling Program
…And the Next Day, the Kids Came to School: Lesson Plans for Teachers

Texas FEMA Crisis Counseling Program
My Disaster Book