Influence of children's disaster anxiety on their mental well‐being: Focusing parental warmth and gender

• Published date: 01 December 2024
• Author: Changmin Yoo
• Date: 01 December 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.13084

RESEARCH

Influence of children’s disaster anxiety on their mental

well-being: Focusing parental warmth and gender

Changmin Yoo

Department of Social Welfare, Inha

University, Incheon, Republic of Korea

Correspondence

Changmin Yoo, Department of Social

Welfare, Inha University, 100, Inha-ro,

Michuhol-gu, Incheon, 22212, Republic of

Korea.

Email: ycsjk5757@gmail.com

Abstract

Objective: This research analyzed the influence of chil-

dren’s anxiety of disaster on their life satisfaction and

depression, as well as examined parental warmth’s effect

on this relationship.

Background: Recent disasters have been causing various

anxieties. However, there are not many studies that

observe the association between such anxieties related to

disasters and children’s psychosocial well-being.

Method: There were 2,411 children responding to ques-

tions on their disaster-related anxiety (49.8% girls, average

age 12 years old). Measures evaluating children’s percep-

tions of their disaster-related anxiety, warmth of their par-

ents, life satisfaction, and depression were administered.

Results: The results revealed a notable association between

children’s disaster-related anxiety and their satisfaction. It

was also observed that parental warmth partially mediated

this relationship among boys, suggesting that positive par-

enting is related to how children’s anxiety is associated

with their life satisfaction. However, no significant gender

differences were detected except for the path from anxiety

of disaster to parental warmth.

Conclusions: This study explores the impact of children’s

levels of disaster-related anxiety on their life satisfaction

and highlights the crucial role of parental warmth in

reducing this effect.

Implications: With the negative influence of disaster-

related anxiety on life satisfaction, it is important to pro-

vide various interventions that address this issue. Amid the

aftermath of a disaster, appropriate psychological support

Author note: The data sets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available but are available from the

corresponding author on reasonable request.

Received: 4 December 2023 Revised: 13 May 2024 Accepted: 29 June 2024

DOI: 10.1111/fare.13084

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits

use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or

adaptations are made.

© 2024 The Author(s). Family Relations published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of National Council on Family Relations.

3176 Family Relations. 2024;73:3176–3194.

wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare

and various programs should be implemented to help par-

ents support children in coping and managing anxiety.

KEYWORDS

anxiety, children, depression, disasters, life satisfaction, parental warmth

Recently, awareness of disasters and the resulting anxiety are increasing. Disaster is not sim-

ply the result of natural or man-made events. Disasters reveal how a society recognizes,

responds to, and evolves in the face of such events. A noteworthy aspect of recent discus-

sions about disasters is the increase in anxiety experienced by children. This is largely due to

the recent rapid development and spread of communication technology, instant news, and

social media. Unlike in the past, various news occurring around the world is quickly deliv-

ered to children through social network services, and this is influencing children to increase

their anxiety about disaster situations. Specifically, Dick et al. (2021) identified post-

traumatic stress before and after Hurricane Irma in 400 children aged 9 to 11 years. The

results showed that both the “dose”of self-reported objective exposure and media exposure

were significantly related to posttraumatic stress. These results suggest that children’sexpo-

sure to a wide range of disaster-related media and news may have negative effects beyond

geographic location and objective risk. These results show that unlike in the past, in the con-

text of recent technological development, there is an urgent need for research into the extent

to which children become anxious about disasters and how this anxiety is related to chil-

dren’s psychosocial development.

Alexander (1995) defined disasters as unforeseen and catastrophic occurrences that surpass

the capabilities of local authorities, necessitating external aid at a national or global level. These

calamitous events inflict extensive harm, devastation, and immense human misery. Oppenhei-

mer and Anttila-Hughes (2016) have highlighted the role of climate fluctuation in exacerbating

the frequency of disasters in various nations. Climate fluctuation poses a critical and pressing

danger to human well-being and health, as underscored by the findings of Costello et al. (2009).

In the last decade (2010–2019), the world saw record-high temperatures, leading to numerous

global climate disasters. In 2017, Australia faced a severe drought and a destructive bushfire

season. California also had a significant wildfire that same year, scorching over 440 square

miles. Meanwhile, countries like China, India, Sierra Leone, and Bali experienced severe

flooding. Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Virgin Islands were hit by back-to-back

hurricanes—Harvey, Irma, and Maria—leaving affected communities with little time to recover

(S. Chen et al., 2020).

These occurrences have had a profound and far-reaching impact on various facets of soci-

ety, encompassing the well-being and growth of children (Kousky, 2016; Masten &

Narayan, 2012; Masten & Osofsky, 2010). Consequently, there is an increasingly urgent imper-

ative to comprehend the ramifications of children’s anxiety stemming from disasters on their

overall life satisfaction and levels of depression, especially within the context of their parents’

warm and nurturing approach to parenting. Extreme weather conditions, including hurricanes,

floods, earthquakes, and wildfires, have surged in both frequency and intensity, inflicting devas-

tating consequences upon communities across the globe (Dyregrov et al., 2018). These events

not only impose immediate threats to physical safety but also harbor long-term repercussions

for psychological well-being, including the developmental trajectory of children (Dyregrov

et al., 2018). Given their limited coping mechanisms and reliance on their immediate environ-

ment, which prominently includes their families, children emerge as a uniquely vulnerable

demographic susceptible to the detrimental aftermath of disasters.

Parents’positive parenting behavior is a protective factor that can alleviate children’s grow-

ing anxiety due to being exposed to increased news and heightened awareness of disasters.

ANXIETY OF DISASTERS AND MENTAL HEALTH 3177