Childhood trauma is often understudied and overlooked further creating misunderstandings to the damaging things that can happen to a child. The effects can be long-lasting with the possibility of them not fully recovering. More often than not, they might find difficulties in excessing themselves or managing their emotions. As result, they might experience depression, anxiety, or anger ( van Nierop et al., 2015) In this case, Shoto’s Tsunami experience at ten years may likely interfere with his normal development. He was trapped in a school with no electricity or parents before the storm subsided. In this case, the greatest concern lies with whether such children are nourished and educated on how to cope in similar traumatic events. Ideally, children should be well-nourished, have reduced stress, and have their mental health assessed.
Facts
The events that followed the tsunami saw them living in temporary tents as they lost nearly all their belongings. Despite his family being in charge of food, the reliance on soup and beef burgers as food greatly threaten their health. At the same time, he tries to cope with the trauma through distractions such as watching TV as he still misses his previous life. He also witnesses his parents being stressed and feels like things will never get back to how they were before. Losing everything means that they would have to start afresh amidst all the difficulties. Not having electricity or a safe place to live in and food to eat would make Shoto upset. At the same time, the negative energy surrounding his family and the fact that his friends have moved to better places adds to his depressive state.
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Hypotheses and Learning Issues
Shoto is angry and depressed with their current state of living. While Shoto’s friends moved out to temporary houses, he and his family have to share a small tent and depend on charity for food. His trauma is still present and feels dark and lost given that they live with no electricity and feels depressed ( Salari, Malekian, Linck, Kristiansson & Sarkadi, 2017) . He also had to move to another new school thereby moving away from what he was used to. Counselors and parents would be trained in how to help Shoto cope with negative emotions and feelings. However, his parents need to avoid displaying depression or sadness in order to dispel any stress or fears Shoto may have.
At the same time, he is not well nourished with safe and available food. Leaving in tents and depending on charity means that food would be rationed and monotonous. This means that he would likely not get a healthy and well-balanced meal as children are supposed to. Therefore, apart from mental instabilities, Shoto is also likely to suffer from malnourishment or other food-related problems. Therefore, charity organizations and donors could provide well-balanced meals to those affected by the Tsunami. Children such as Shoto would also be given supplements to ensure that they do not lack the necessary nutritional requirements. Additionally, medical care providers could avail services and medicine to those affected in order to reduce the burden of illnesses and psychological harm.
His anger and lost hope illustrate symptoms of depression and a possible anxiety as he wonders whether they will ever get out of their situation. Stress and the difficulties of survival might, in turn, affect his health and growth ( Salari, Malekian, Linck, Kristiansson & Sarkadi, 2017) . His exposure to trauma at an early age is unfortunate with the likelihood of emotional distraught extending to his adult life.
According to Kousky (2016), the imminent threats from natural disasters are inevitable with vulnerable people such as children having much to lose. Children are not only at risk of being injured or killed but also are in danger of suffering from malnutrition due to disruptions of the food supply. At the same time, children are at a higher risk of getting ill from contaminated water. Unfortunately, access to medical services is often limited and children may suffer from mental harm due to physical, emotional, and social griefs.
Shoto’s family could be helped moved to temporary housing units as his emotions are closely monitored. Resources such as school and toys should also be provided to children to replace their lost livelihood of fun. Children should be encouraged to play and interact with others in order to distract them from sadness and grief. They should also be taught how to adopt coping mechanisms when faced with such tough situations ( Salari, Malekian, Linck, Kristiansson & Sarkadi, 2017). Counseling and therapy should also be provided to those affected. Support groups could also be formed to reduce the effect and burden of trauma.
In this regard, nations could prepare for disasters before they occur. Infrastructure could be strengthened and management team including rescuers and medical providers could be placed in highly prone areas. Safety net programs could also be placed to allow restoration to be effective and fast in order to reduce the time spent in waiting for government aid. The government and community members such as churches and hospitals could be responsible for providing therapy to the affected children and their families ( Salari, Malekian, Linck, Kristiansson & Sarkadi, 2017) . Early screenings should also be availed to ensure that children do not suffer from long-term mental health issues.
References
Kousky, C. (2016). Impacts of natural disasters on children. The Future of Children , 73-92.
Salari, R., Malekian, C., Linck, L., Kristiansson, R., & Sarkadi, A. (2017). Screening for PTSD symptoms in unaccompanied refugee minors: a test of the CRIES-8 questionnaire in routine care. Scandinavian journal of public health , 45 (6), 605-611.
van Nierop, M., Viechtbauer, W., Gunther, N., Van Zelst, C., De Graaf, R., Ten Have, M., ... & OUtcome of Psychosis (GROUP) investigators. (2015). Childhood trauma is associated with a specific admixture of affective, anxiety, and psychosis symptoms cutting across traditional diagnostic boundaries. Psychological medicine , 45 (6), 1277-1288.
