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According to "Psychological effects of the 2017 California wildfires on children and youth with disabilities", a research journal written by Elizabeth McAdams Ducy and published on Science Direct, the effect of natural disasters -- such as wildfires -- are understudied amongst children and youth with disabilities.
With all information derived from Ducy's work, below are some of the psychological effects of natural disasters and our youth population.
100+ million children worldwide are impacted by natural disasters each year
PTSD in children is associated with high levels of exposure to natural hazards
Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are prone to traumatic stress, have fewer coping strategies to stressful events, and may ruminate over a traumatic event after exposure
There are further declines in adaptive functioning, sadness, withdrawal, and behavior changes
Research highlights behavioral changes such as aggression, irritability, and a decline in school behavior and attainment
Parents believe it is important to not display fear and provide a sense of safety for their children
The emotional masking of parents often remain even after the evacuation. Some parents did not fully realize the emotional impact the fire had on themselves until a later time
Lack of access to disability-related services and supports added to the stress of families who were already managing complex situations related to the wildfires
Many families that need to rapidly evacuate their houses in a rush often leave behind disability-related items (medications, sensory support, & wheelchairs)
Within the journal, Ducy examines multiple common themes of how children are impacted by wildfires during and after evacuation. Specifically, certain age ranges have a correlation to developmental and mental disorders. Her work mentions:
"Table 1 includes the age range, disability diagnoses, and if appliciable, the co-occurring health conditions [...] Eleven of the families evacuated and were displaced (from one week to over a year) as a result of the wildfires. Only one family did not evacuate, but spent days uncertain if they would be forced to evacuate. All children and youth missed preschool or school (1 week to over a month) and experienced disruptions in disability-related services as a direct result of the wildfires. One child’s school was destroyed. Three families lost their homes and four families relocated to new towns" (Ducy).
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