Practice parameter on disaster preparedness.

Pfefferbaum B, Shaw JA; American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Committee on Quality Issues (CQI).

Collaborators (13)

Abstract

This Practice Parameter identifies best approaches to the assessment and management of children and adolescents across all phases of a disaster. Delivered within a disaster system of care, many interventions are appropriate for implementation in the weeks and months after a disaster. These include psychological first aid, family outreach, psychoeducation, social support, screening, and anxiety reduction techniques. The clinician should assess and monitor risk and protective factors across all phases of a disaster. Schools are a natural site for conducting assessments and delivering services to children. Multimodal approaches using social support, psychoeducation, and cognitive behavioral techniques have the strongest evidence base. Psychopharmacologic interventions are not generally used but may be necessary as an adjunct to other interventions for children with severe reactions or coexisting psychiatric conditions.

KEYWORDS:

child and adolescent; disaster; disaster system of care; psychological first aid; resilience

PMID:: 24157398; [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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National Guideline Clearinghouse | Practice parameter on disaster preparedness.

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Guideline Title

Practice parameter on disaster preparedness.

Bibliographic Source(s)

Pfefferbaum B, Shaw JA, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Committee on Quality Issues (CQI). Practice parameter on disaster preparedness. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2013 Nov;52(11):1224-38. [137 references]PubMed External Web Site Policy