Post Traumatic Impact of Deadly Earthquake on NZ Children
Posted by feww on August 29, 2017
Submitted by a reader
Four in five Christchurch schoolchildren exhibit PTSD symptoms — Study
The development of children’s nervous systems was disrupted with each aftershock, sending them in a state of “hyperarousal.”
“As many as four in five Christchurch primary schoolers are exhibiting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a local study has found.
“Children who started school in the years after the Canterbury earthquakes were “neurologically different” – and a city-wide focus on resilience has only deepened the crisis, researchers Kathleen Liberty and Maureen Allan found.
“The 300 children in the study were five times more likely to exhibit symptoms of PTSD than other Kiwi children. Eighty per cent had at least one symptom and a third exhibited at least six of 12 symptoms. About a third had eight or more behavioural problems.”
Fear Factor
The children were found to be “neurologically different”: Old, punitive methods of controlling their behaviour only increased their fear, said Kathleen Liberty.
“One of the things we see in Canterbury is this idea of resilience; there was this myth that children would bounce back from harm.” Read more…
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Deadly Earthquake Killed 185, Devastated NZ’s Second largest City
A deadly earthquake measuring magnitude 6.3 occurred in Christchurch on February 21, 2011 at 23:51 UTC. It caused widespread destruction across Christchurch, killing at least 185 people, and injuring thousands of others [despite early warnings issued by this blog.]
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