J Korean Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry.  2018 Jul;29(3):88-100. 10.5765/jkacap.180002.

Assessment Tools for the Mental Health of School-Aged Children and Adolescents Exposed to Disaster: A Systematic Review (1988-2015)

• Lee MS
• Bhang SY

• KMID: 2436279
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5765/jkacap.180002

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
In this study, we aimed to conduct a systematic review of studies investigating psychosocial factors affecting children exposed to disasters.
METHODS
In total, 140 studies were retrieved. The studies were published from 1988 to 2015. A systematic review was performed using the PRISMA guidelines. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Google Scholar were searched. Each database was searched using the following terms: "˜Child,'"˜Adolescent,'"˜Youth,'"˜Disaster,'"˜Posttraumatic,'"˜Psychosocial,'"˜Assessment,'"˜Evaluation,' and "˜Screening.' The identified studies were subjected to data extraction and appraisal.
RESULTS
The database search identified 713 articles. Based on the titles and abstracts, the full texts of 118 articles were obtained. The findings of this review can be used as a basis for the design of a psychosocial evaluation tool for disaster preparedness.
CONCLUSION
Given the paramount importance of post-disaster evaluation and the weaknesses of current disaster evaluation tools, the need to develop valid and reliable tools and psychometric evaluations cannot be overstated. Our findings provide current evidence supporting various assessments in children, who are very vulnerable psychologically following disasters.

Keyword

Disaster; Mental health tool; Assessment; Children; Systematic review

MeSH Terms

Adolescent*
Child*
Disasters*
Humans
Mental Health*
Psychology
Psychometrics