Publications

Children’s emotional experience two years after an earthquake: An exploration of knowledge of earthquakes and associated emotions  (2017)

Authors:
Raccanello, D.; Burro, R.; Hall, ROBERT MACLEAN
Title:
Children’s emotional experience two years after an earthquake: An exploration of knowledge of earthquakes and associated emotions
Year:
2017
Type of item:
Articolo in Rivista
Tipologia ANVUR:
Articolo su rivista
Language:
Inglese
Referee:
No
Name of journal:
PLoS ONE
ISSN of journal:
1932-6203
N° Volume:
12
Number or Folder:
2
Page numbers:
1-21
Keyword:
emotion expression; emotion understanding; emotion regulation; knowledge; earthquake; natural disaster
Short description of contents:
A major earthquake has a potentially highly traumatic impact on children’s psychological functioning. However, while many studies on children describe negative consequences in terms of mental health and psychiatric disorders, little is known regarding how the developmental processes of emotions can be affected following exposure to disasters. Objectives We explored whether and how the exposure to a natural disaster such as the 2012 Emilia Romagna earthquake affected the development of children’s emotional competence in terms of understanding, regulating, and expressing emotions, after two years, when compared with a control group not exposed to the earthquake. We also examined the role of class level and gender. Method The sample included two groups of children (n = 127) attending primary school: The experimental group (n = 65) experienced the 2012 Emilia Romagna earthquake, while the control group (n = 62) did not. The data collection took place two years after the earthquake, when children were seven or ten-year-olds. Beyond assessing the children’s understanding of emotions and regulating abilities with standardized instruments, we employed semi-structured interviews to explore their knowledge of earthquakes and associated emotions, and a structured task on the intensity of some target emotions. Results We applied Generalized Linear Mixed Models. Exposure to the earthquake did not influence the understanding and regulation of emotions. The understanding of emotions varied according to class level and gender. Knowledge of earthquakes, emotional language, and emotions associated with earthquakes were, respectively, more complex, frequent, and intense for children who had experienced the earthquake, and at increasing ages. Conclusions Our data extend the generalizability of theoretical models on children’s psychological functioning following disasters, such as the dose-response model and the organizational-developmental model for child resilience, and provide further knowledge on children’s emotional resources related to natural disasters, as a basis for planning educational prevention programs.
Product ID:
99652
Handle IRIS:
11562/971240
Last Modified:
November 15, 2022
Bibliographic citation:
Raccanello, D.; Burro, R.; Hall, ROBERT MACLEAN, Children’s emotional experience two years after an earthquake: An exploration of knowledge of earthquakes and associated emotions «PLoS ONE» , vol. 12 , n. 22017pp. 1-21

Consulta la scheda completa presente nel repository istituzionale della Ricerca di Ateneo IRIS

Related projects
Title Department Managers
Sviluppo della competenza emotiva in relazione a eventi traumatici (disastri naturali e tecnologici) Department Scienze Umane Daniela Raccanello
PROGETTO PrEmT - Prevenzione Emotiva e Terremoti nella scuola primaria Department Scienze Umane Daniela Raccanello
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