Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

The one natural disaster that comes to mind when I think about children is Hurricane Katrina.  I met one of my very good friends just after this storm occurred, who at the time had a five year old son.  When Katrina struck they lived in Mississippi.  They had to stay in a shelter in order to be safe and have food and water to drink.  This unfortunately was traumatic in itself for her son.  They were in tight living quarters in a shelter and her son was not able to move around as freely as young children do.  There were struggles to get food and water as the supply was limited and so many people were all in one place trying to stay safe.  Unfortunately, her five year old son was hospitalized for dehydration and was admitted for two days.  I can only imagine what was going through this young child’s mind.  His home and all of his belonging were left behind. After the storm had passed and they were able to return to their home, they learned that a lot of their stuff had been destroyed by the high waters and rain, including their car and home.  For a child his sense of security and what he knew as safe had been torn away.  Shortly after hurricane Katrina they were relocated to Virginia due to military orders.  Whenever, I would go to their home my friend would show me or tell me about things that had been damaged during the storm.  There were several things that were valuable to her son that were either damaged, destroyed or lost during the hurricane.  His sense of security was threatened by the experiences he had from hurricane Katrina.  Still today, nearly eight years later and lots of therapy, this child does not have good experiences when it rains, he still worries and asks if it is going to flood.  He also is frightened quite easily by loud noises due to the loud thunder and wind noises he heard during the storm.  It is more than likely safe to say because of the experiences that this child has had dealing with the effects of a hurricane, he will handle preparing for a hurricane, differently than someone who has never actually experienced a natural disaster such as a hurricane.

            A major stressor that affect the children of Africa is hunger. The lack of rain, diminishing crops and high food prices make it hard for families to provide healthy food for their children (Save the Children, 2014a).  The lack of healthy food set the children up for poor growth and development and a weak immune system, therefore making them vulnerable to many diseases (Save the Children, 2014a).  Unfortunately, children of South Sudan are affected by Africa’s longest running civil war, where over 2 million people have died and four million have fled (Save the Children, 2014b).  Children are facing many challenges that include high infant mortality rates, low education and children are dealing with severe emotional and psychosocial needs because they have been forced to be soldiers of war and or have become orphaned (Save the Children, 2014b).  The children are faced with infectious diseases spreading because there is little access to clean water, sanitation, hygiene and they are without basic healthcare (Save the Children, 2014b).  

A recent survey found that for children under the age of five:

1. Over one in four children are underweight
2. Nearly one in three children are stunted (short and underdeveloped due to chronic malnutrition)
3. Nearly one in four children are wasted (suffered rapid loss of muscle and fat due to acute malnutrition) (Save the Children, 2014b)

Save the children is an organization that creates change for children in the United States and around the World (Save the Children, 2014b).  The organization is working to help children be reunited with their families, offering aid supplies, food, healthcare and psychosocial support for children to be able to deal with the trauma they have experienced(Save the Children, 2014b).  

Save the Children. (2014a). Fighting Hunger in Africa. Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.8197811/k.616B/Fighting_Hunger_in_Africa.htm

Save the Children. (2014b). South Sudan. Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6150459/k.96D1/South_Sudan.htm