The Relationship Between Physical and Mental Health Outcomes in Children Exposed to Disasters

Purpose of Review This paper reviews literature on the influence of disaster exposure on the intersection between physical and mental health in children, including risk and protective factors. We provide an update on recent studies and conclude with recommendations for future research. Recent Findings The limited existing research on this topic suggests that disasters can influence short and long-term physical and mental health of children. Although few studies explore both mental and physical health in the same study, studies that assess both show that they co-occur. Pre-existing conditions, severity of disaster exposure, socioeconomic status, and gender may influence the relation between disaster exposure and physical and mental health. Despite the growing number of studies exploring mental and physical health symptoms together in children post-disaster, a dearth of research examines this relationship in terms of nuances by age and developmental stage, longitudinal mechanisms, and risk and protective factors.