Children and Disaster: New Research that Can Inform Policy and Practice

Disasters affect the lives of millions of children every year. Until recently there was very little understanding about how to help children during disasters. The Society for Research in Child Development sponsored three briefings to highlight new research on "Disasters and Their Impact on Children." This new research published in the July/August 2010 issue of the journal Child Development takes a substantial step in broadening our understanding of how children cope most positively.