The Long-Term Impact of Disasters on Child Health

Numerous quantitative and qualitative studies have documented the acute physical and mental health consequences of exposure to environmental pollutants and psychological trauma that result from natural disasters, conflicts, or mass casualty events, such as the 9/11 World Trade Center terrorist attack. Measurement of early life exposure requires focused attention as the discernible impact may manifest differently or be more severe based on the developmental period the child was exposed to. While there is still a major gap in the field, developments in electronic data collection and registries have seen an increase in longitudinal studies that document the long-term consequences of such childhood exposures. As global conflicts and the climate emergency intensify, the impacts of these disasters are becoming a feature of daily life for children around the world – requiring broader understanding of the longer-term health effects for those exposed as children. This Research Topic aims to advance interdisciplinary understanding of the lasting mental and physical health impacts of disasters for individuals exposed as children and adolescents (under 18 years at the time of exposure). Objectives of this collection include: to document prevalence and long-term trajectories of physical and mental health conditions, explore aspects of exposure relevant to these trajectories, identify emergency interventions with lasting impacts on child health, and understand facilitators and barriers to accessing and utilizing healthcare related to disaster-related health outcomes. Considering these points, submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes will be welcomed:• Prevalence of chronic mental and physical health conditions two or more years after the disaster exposure.• Physical and mental health comorbidities during childhood and their consequences to later life educational, occupational, and social functioning outcomes.• Identify social and contextual determinants that influence access to and utilization of health care for disaster-related conditions.• Intergenerational transmission of trauma.• Methodology for causal inference and/or assessment of mental health sequalae for early life exposures.• Development, evaluation, and implementation of evidence-based interventions for children in emergencies. Topic editors: Janna Metzler, Hanna-Tina Fischer, Sabrina Hermosilla Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/77837/the-long-term-impact-of-disasters-on-child-health