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Children’s Mental Health Following the Haiti 2010 Earthquake

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An International Perspective on Disasters and Children's Mental Health

Part of the book series: Integrating Psychiatry and Primary Care ((IPPC))

Abstract

The 2010 earthquake devastated many Haitian communities. Its profound effects on mental health have been investigated in a number of Haitian research studies. To truly appreciate the situation, we will describe research findings from before and after the earthquake and discuss them within the framework of the existing literature on the mental health aftermath of mass trauma. In particular, we will discuss the Haitian cultural and economic background, including societal shortcomings that could be a threat to Haiti’s children and their development. Adverse childhood experiences, such as hunger, multiple forms of violence, child labor, and the absence of child-nurturing environments, likely caused developmental vulnerabilities in Haiti’s children prior to the earthquake, although these different impacts are difficult to separate. On the other hand, existing protective factors in Haiti, such as strong family and community commitment to children and strong religious beliefs, are also present and relevant to their development and will also be taken into account. After the earthquake, Haiti made progress by implementing policies and programs that address children’s health, mental health, and development. However, ensuring healthy physical and mental development of Haiti’s children remains a serious challenge. As authors, we did not conduct one specific study but attempted here to provide insight into the pre- and post-earthquake situation, including the unavoidable interrelationship of physical and mental health in the post-disaster setting.

“Pitit se byen pòv malerè/malerèz!!!”

(Children are goods for poor people)

—Haitian Kreyòl Proverb

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State University of Haiti (Universite d’Etat d’Haiti), Port-au-Prince, Haiti

    Judite Blanc

  2. Department of Population Health, Center for Healthful Behavior Change, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, USA

    Judite Blanc

  3. Jonx, Department of (Youth) Mental Health and Autism, Lentis Psychiatric Institute, Zuidlaren, The Netherlands

    Ingrid van Balkom

  4. Rob Giel Research Centre, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Ingrid van Balkom

  5. Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Ingrid van Balkom

Authors
  1. Judite Blanc
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  2. Ingrid van Balkom
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Correspondence to Judite Blanc .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Christina W. Hoven

  2. New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Lawrence V. Amsel

  3. Tel Aviv University School of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Sam Tyano

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Blanc, J., van Balkom, I. (2019). Children’s Mental Health Following the Haiti 2010 Earthquake. In: Hoven, C., Amsel, L., Tyano, S. (eds) An International Perspective on Disasters and Children's Mental Health. Integrating Psychiatry and Primary Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15872-9_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15872-9_8

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-15872-9

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