Impact on Children and families

Crises may fast-track or render developmental, wellbeing, or educational processes of children into permanent adverse effects. These natural disasters and forced migrations would remove one's home, sever community ties. In the process, exposure to traumatic events may induce feeling of anxiety of the person, disturbances in sleep, or even regression in developmental skills (Gibbs et al., 2013). Family violence may cause grave emotional and psychological turmoil that would affect one's sense of trust, attachment, and social relationships (Campo, 2015).

Prolonged isolation and disruption of routine during pandemics can augment feelings of loneliness and impair social skills (Cloney et al., 2020). In addition, families may find themselves entering into crisis, with mounting financial hardships, housing instability, and perhaps reduced access to support service destinations, thereby exacerbating their stress levels and hindering recovery (AIHW, 2022).

Lack of emergency services and recovery support can also increase vulnerabilities in some communities, particularly rural and remote ones. Cultural safety considerations are also critical, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, who may experience intergenerational trauma that can be exacerbated during crises (Dudgeon et al., 2014).