1-174 - Inequality, disparities, and culture as moderators of disaster effects on child development

Session Type: Conversation Roundtable

Integrative Statement

Children around the world are exposed to major natural and human-influenced disasters at an alarming and accelerating rate. Major storms, wildfires, terror attacks, famines, and wars displace large populations, disrupt lives, and traumatize, kill, or disable children, family members, and entire communities. The purpose of this session is to bring together experts who have studied the effects of disasters on children, but also volunteered and consulted with diverse agencies in multiple countries around the world, in an effort to guide preparedness and support for the well-being of children in these extreme situations. Panel experiences include research and consultation for victims of hurricanes (Katrina, Sandy, Maria), earthquakes and associated tsunamis (Chile, Nepal, Japan, New Zealand), and political conflicts, war, and terror (Cambodian, Syrian, Rohingya). The discussion will highlight evidence that inequality and cultural influences permeate disparities in the magnitude of the effects of the disasters on children’s well-being, and also influence resilience capacity and pathways of recovery. Questions for discussion will focus on how inequalities are revealed by disasters; how cultural processes contribute to risk and resilience; and how developmental science and scientists can contribute to research, policy, and practice to protect children and foster recovery in disasters. Basic and applied research illuminating developmental processes will be discussed to elucidate these phenomena with respect to both universal and contextualized dimensions. The panelists believe that developmental science has vital roles to play in designing, guiding, and implementing disaster research and response.
Moderator: Cynthia Garcia Coll

Sub Unit

• Diversity, Equity & Social Justice

Moderator

• Cynthia García Coll, University of Puerto Rico

Panelists

• Ann S. Masten, University of Minnesota Twin Cities

• Joy Osofsky, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

• Tara Powell, University of Illinois