Emotional,physical, and social needs among 0–5‐year‐old children displaced by the 2010 Chilean earthquake: associated characteristics and exposures |
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| Authors: | MaryCatherine Arbour Kara A Murray Hirokazu Yoshikawa Felipe Arriet Cecilia Moraga Miguel Angel Cordero Vega |
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| Affiliation: | 1. MD, MPH is Associate Physician for Research in the Division of Global Health Equity, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States;2. MPH is Research Assistant in the Division of Global Health Equity, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States;3. PhD is University Professor at New York University, New York, NY, United States;4. BA is Technical Advisor at Chile Crece Contigo, Ministry of Social Development, Santiago, Chile;5. MA is Technical Advisor at Chile Crece Contigo, Ministry of Health, Santiago, Chile;6. MSc is Associate Academic at the Psychiatry Training Program, Universidad Diego Portales Medical School, Santiago, Chile |
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| Abstract: | An 8.8‐magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of Chile on 27 February 2010, displacing nearly 2,000 children aged less than five years to emergency housing camps. Nine months later, this study assessed the needs of 140 displaced 0–5‐year‐old children in six domains: caregiver stability and protection; health; housing; nutrition; psychosocial situation; and stimulation. Multivariate regression was applied to examine the degree to which emotional, physical, and social needs were associated with baseline characteristics and exposure to the earthquake, to stressful events, and to ongoing risks in the proximal post‐earthquake context. In each domain, 20 per cent or fewer children had unmet needs. Of all children in the sample, 20 per cent had unmet needs in multiple domains. Children's emotional, physical, and social needs were associated with ongoing exposures amenable to intervention, more than with baseline characteristics or epicentre proximity. Relief efforts should address multiple interrelated domains of child well‐being and ongoing risks in post‐disaster settings. |
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| Keywords: | child development child status index children Chile earthquake health mental health nutrition post‐disaster socio‐emotional well‐being |
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