Care of Children Exposed to the Traumatic Effects of Disaster

The psychological consequences of disasters for children are often slighted in disaster management. Children are uniquely vulnerable, as they are still maturing physically, emotionally, cognitively, and socially. Mental health and psychosocial support services are typically overlooked, delayed, and/or haphazard during response and recovery efforts. All too often children and families usually have limited access to mental health treatment services once the emergency is past. Care of Children Exposed to the Traumatic Effects of Disaster is designed to provide professional and volunteer disaster responders, including community members, who routinely interact with children with the tools they need to support, intervene, and identify children who need additional help overcoming the traumatic effects of extreme events. The authors are experts in psychiatry and public health, and not only understand the psychological responses to trauma and disaster but know what to do to mitigate them. The book is eloquently and compassionately written, and the authors succeed in both communicating their vision and teaching the practical techniques readers need to realize it. This is an indispensable book for an unpredictable world.

Jon A. Shaw, M.D., M.S., is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Miller School of Medicine of the University of Miami in Miami, Florida. Zelde Espinel, M.D., M.A., M.P.H., is Co-Director of the Center for Disaster and Extreme Event Preparedness (DEEP Center) in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Miller School of Medicine of the University of Miami in Miami, Florida. James M. Shultz, M.S., Ph.D., is Director of the Center for Disaster and Extreme Event Preparedness (DEEP Center) in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Miller School of Medicine of the University of Miami in Miami, Florida.