2023-09-17 07:42:00
Morocco earthquake survivors face long-lasting impacts on children’s mental health
Published on: September 17, 2023: 09:42 AM GST Last updated: September 17, 2023: 11:00 AM GST
A week has passed since the devastating earthquake in Morocco, and the tragic stories told by survivors still make headlines, especially if those stories include children. Rescue teams continue their operations on the ground to recover bodies, hoping to find survivors alive. According to the latest toll announced by the Moroccan authorities, the devastating earthquake caused 2,946 deaths, while the number of wounded reached 5,674, so far.
Residents of the affected areas are witnessing the recovery of bodies from under the rubble, and the constant fear that the earthquake will strike again. These are people who were surprised by the earthquake while they were sleeping, and the houses collapsed on their heads, pushing more of them towards poverty, orphanage, and displacement. Within a few minutes, they became people without shelter, money, or even papers proving their existence.
There is no doubt that children are the most affected by the shocks caused by the earthquake, and they may carry its effects with them throughout the years of their lives, especially since some children lost all their family members, so they became without support or help in life, as they lost their homes and schools and lived without safe water or electricity for hours and some for days until aid reached them. It is noteworthy that Moroccan children have not witnessed a similar event before, as the last earthquake the country witnessed was in 2004, that is, before most of them were born.
According to what was reported by the Moroccan newspaper “Hespress”, Iman Oukhair, a child psychiatrist, explained that “the repercussions of the earthquake on children’s mental health may vary depending on the reaction period. We find an initial reaction that takes place within 48 hours, and manifests itself in the form of panic attacks, and this creates “Children have a kind of shrinkage and fear of going out to the outside world, in addition to difficulties in sleeping and eating, which is a natural reaction that we call acute stress cases, the symptoms of which appear in the first week.” Okhir explained the concept of acute stress, which lasts between one and four weeks, and stressed attention to dangerous situations that are reflected in children being exposed to nightmares related to the earthquake event, or through daytime visions related to the earthquake tragedy as well.
She continued by saying: “Some people’s condition develops by 25% towards post-traumatic stress, and here we enter into a state of general anxiety, and this can extend for months, and in some cases years, especially in the absence of rapid and prolonged intervention.” Regarding the psychological symptoms that appear in children affected by the earthquake, the pediatric specialist indicated that there are some children who use other manifestations to express their anxiety, which appear in the form of constant headaches or abdominal pain, and they may also suffer from involuntary urination problems, in addition to eating excessively. They may refrain from eating, and they may suffer from hyperactivity or lack of movement.
Regarding how to deal with children affected by the earthquake tragedy, she said that there are two types of children: “Children who were present in the earthquake areas, but their area did not record any deaths, and here we must support them by answering their questions in full, and protect them from the amount of information” that they are exposed to from the outside world. As for children in the affected areas, they must be “provided with psychological stability, and these children must be accompanied by psychological treatment because they are still in the initial stage, in order to avoid them entering into more serious psychological repercussions that remain in the long term.”
Regarding restoring psychological balance to children affected by the earthquake, Dr. Amal Ladid, a clinical psychologist and member of the Moroccan Association of Clinical Psychologists, said: “The first thing a child needs is protection, care, and his presence with other children who share the same ordeal, and then his presence with… Some adults with whom he is accustomed to living in the same environment, if they are not relatives, neighbors, or people from his social environment.” She stressed the need for psychological and social support for the child, which will help him accept his new reality, especially in the event of losing people with whom he has a strong relationship, after which work can be done to activate his adaptive mechanisms.
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