Abstract
On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7 earthquake devastated the Republic of Haiti. This initial earthquake then triggered additional aftershocks that further traumatized the Caribbean nation. Prior to this event, Haiti had not experienced an earthquake for over a hundred years which left people highly unprepared. This unawareness, together with Haiti’s low socio-economic conditions, poor infrastructure, and environmental degradation made the country vulnerable to a highly devastating natural disaster. The purpose of this chapter is threefold: (1) it documents the experiences and psychological conditions of individuals who experienced the earthquake in Petit Goâve, a coastal town near the epicenter of the earthquake in Haiti; (2) it explores common post-traumatic symptoms and learning deficits in the traditional Haitian classrooms; and (3) it provides recommendations for both early childhood teachers and the Haitian government to assist children and the community as a whole with coping with the trauma caused by a natural disaster.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bell, B. (2010). ‘We bend, but we don’t break’: Fighting for a just reconstruction in Haiti. NACLA Report on the Americas, 43(4), 28–31.
Blanc, J., Buid, E., Mouchenik, Y., Derivois, D., & Birmes, P. (2015). Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in two groups of children one year after the January 2010. Journal of Affective Disorders. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2014.09.055.
Cerda, M., Magdalena, P., Galea, S., Nemethy, K., Pean, C., & Desvarieux, M. (2013). Psychopathology in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake: A population-based study of posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression. Depression and Anxiety, 30, 413–424.
David, B. (2011). Returning to Petit-Goȃve after Goudougoudou. Meridians, 11(1), 144–148.
DesRoches, R., Comerio, M., Eberhard, M., Mooney, W., & Rix, G. J. (2011). Overview of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Earthquake Spectra, 27(1), S1–S21.
Eberhard, M. O., Baldridge, S., Marshall, J., Mooney, W., Rix, G. J. (2010). The MW 7.0 Haiti earthquake of January 12, 2010: USGS/EERI advance reconnaissance team report. Retrieved from https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1048/of2010-1048.pdf
Fronabarger, A. K. (2015). Earthquakes. Salem Press Encyclopedia of Science. Available from Research Starters, EBSCOhost. Retrieved from http://research.flagler.edu:9839/eds/command/detail?sid=492cf8c1-a986-46db-9bb0-572af7a8301e%40sessionmgr4007&vid=7&hid=4213&bdataJnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=88806722&db=ers
Miller, D. (2010). Haiti revisited: The more things change, the more they stay the same. Pediatric Nursing, 36(5), 264–267.
Mouchenik, Y., Marty-Chevreuil, A., Marquer, C., Joseph, N. E., Ducasse, J. W., Ryswick, C., …, & Moro, M. R. (2014). Indicative evaluation of psychological disturbance among young children affected by the January 2010 Haiti earthquake in Port-au-Prince. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 9(3), 247–257.
Pat-Horenczyk, R., & Brom, D. (2007). The multiple faces of post-traumatic growth. Applied Psychology. An International Review, 56, 379–385.
Schwaldi, G. R. (2000). The post-traumatic stress disorder sourcebook: A guide to healing, recovery, and growth. Los Angeles: Lowell House.
Sloand, E., Ho, G., Klimmek, R., Pho, A., & Kub, J. (2012). Nursing children after a disaster: A qualitative study of nurse volunteers and children after the Haiti earthquake. Journal of Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 17, 242–253.
U.S. Geological Survey. (2015a). About us-program overview. Retrieved from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/aboutus/
U.S. Geological Survey. (2015b). Earthquake statistics. Retrieved from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/browse/stats.php
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bryant, E.C., Blum, E. (2018). Long Term Effects of the 2010 Earthquake on Haitian Children and Their Determination to Survive. In: Szente, J. (eds) Assisting Young Children Caught in Disasters . Educating the Young Child, vol 13. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62887-5_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62887-5_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62886-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62887-5
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)