Associate Professor Betty Lai
When disaster strikes, young people can bear the brunt of its catastrophic impact. Researchers know that events like hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes can be detrimental to children and their mental health as they develop.
鈥淒isasters affect how children see the world,鈥� shares Associate Professor Betty Lai,聽leaving children with questions such as, 鈥淚s the world a safe place? Do bad things happen to good people?鈥�
New research by Lai and AV诊所 College colleagues attempts to understand the impact of climate-related disasters on youth mental health.聽The first paper from the study was published in the .聽Through the use of two large-scale, population-based surveys, Lai and her co-authors鈥�Summer Hawkins, professor at the School of Social Work,聽Christopher Baum, professor and chair of the Economics Department at the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, and Alexa Riobueno-Naylor '26 (Ph.D., Counseling Psychology)鈥攅valuated youth health behaviors pre- and post-Hurricane Sandy.
The nature of such disasters is that you never know when they鈥檒l strike, but Lai says that schools, counselors, and families can be prepared when they do. The result? She hopes this research 鈥渃an inform screening efforts so that when a disaster happens, we have toolkits ready to go.鈥� These toolkits will involve developing questionnaires that schools can use to identify at-risk children, and will include resources for helping them cope.聽
Responding to Disasters
It's easy for teachers to feel hopeless or lost in the wake of natural disasters. Lai recommends that teachers and counselors:
Watch for signs of distress. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress include trouble sleeping or worrying about another disaster happening.
Intervene if children are unable to function in school or enjoy things they enjoyed before the disaster.
Take care of yourself. Many teachers and counselors experienced the same disaster. Make sure your needs are met, allowing you to support the children around you.
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As a former middle school teacher, Lai saw firsthand how detrimental events like this can be to childrens鈥� mental well-being. 鈥淵oung people come into the classroom with the real-world problems that they鈥檙e facing, and that can influence how they鈥檙e able to learn.鈥� Her latest research considers a formative approach to child development鈥攖aking the whole person into account鈥攁nd aims to empower educators to help children reach their full potential, even in the wake of trauma.
As communities continue to recover from the destructive impacts of hurricanes such as Milton and Helene, Lai offers a few practical tips.聽"Teach and model coping skills," she recommends. "That can look like talking about ways to handle stress."聽
Alexa Riobueno-Naylor '26, Ph.D. candidate in Counseling Psychology
As for families, the best thing to do is to help their children return to routines. Lai shares that "routines are comforting for children. Also, focus on helping your children feel connected to friends and family. Social support has been shown to be important in helping children recover from disasters."
There's some good news, too. They have learned from their research "that most kids are what we would call 'resilient,' meaning that after a big event like a disaster, they tend to recover and bounce back pretty quickly." By preparing to help kids in the wake of these increasing catastrophes, teachers, counselors, and families can help build up and restore their communities when disaster strikes.