As natural disasters increase in frequency throughout the world, more children and families experience disaster-related stress and trauma. However, there is limited research on interventions that address natural disaster exposure. Many children with disaster exposure face occupational disruption, where everyday activities, roles, and relationships are damaged or destroyed. The capstone will explore the effect natural disasters have on children and adolescents, the contribution of mental health in disaster management, and the opportunity for occupational therapy practitioners to engage in collaborative interventions during disaster recovery. Through occupational therapy, children in traditional and community-based services will benefit from assistance in restoring normalcy. From this capstone project, occupational therapists will understand the opportunity and role that occupational therapy has in pediatric disaster recovery. Future implications of this capstone will include occupational therapy practitioners exploring inverventions targeting communities, exploring quantitative and qualitative research in pediatric disaster management, and expanding treatment for children impacted by natural and human-made traumas.
