Abstract
Child-focused disaster research is a relatively new area of study, one that has grown substantially in recent years and will continue to develop in the recent aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks. As reflected in this volume, the first generation of studies focused predominantly on documenting children's and adolescents' reactions to disasters and identifying factors that correlate with or predict severe disaster reactions. Studies have begun to examine interventions for youngsters following disasters, although this line of research is still in a preliminary stage. The field has yet to develop empirically supported interventions for children and youth following disasters. A broadened research agenda is needed to advance our understanding of how children are affected by disasters, which youth are most at risk, and when and how to intervene. Key issues addressed in this concluding chapter include the need for researchers and clinicians in the child mental health field to help advance knowledge of the effects of disasters on children and youth and the need to develop and evaluate empirically based treatments for child disaster victims. Researchers and clinicians need to become advocates for children's needs following disasters and to become attentive to public policy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved)