2658 - BUILDING RESILIENCE AMONG CHILDREN: INTEGRATING LIFE SKILLS AND STUDENT ENRICHMENT PROGRAMME INTO PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

Session: P_D04S003 - Poster Session 3 - Division 4
AUTHORS:
Manikappa Sanjeev Kumar (National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosicnes ~ Bengaluru ~ India) , Bamney Urmila (National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosicnes ~ Bengaluru ~ India)
Abstract text:
Background:


Disasters can be especially stressful for children and teens. Young people are less likely to understand the events affecting them and have fewer opportunities for control and decision-making than adults. As reported by the WHO (2022), the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant indirect effects on multiple areas of child development, including school readiness, educational attainment, socialisation skills, and mental health, in addition to risks associated with social determinants of health. Against this background, the researchers prepared and implemented "Life Skills Education (LSE)" cum "Student Enrichment Programme (SEP) for those children and adolescents who were from low socio-economic status and were severely affected by the pandemic.


Methods & Materials:


Aim: The aim was to assess the effectiveness of integrating life skills education (LSE) and the Student Enrichment Programme (SEP) into Psychosocial Care and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) to enhance students' resilience and adaptability. Methods and materials: The study population consisted of 227 children from vulnerable communities who were trained through the LSE-SEP module and a series of sessions on psychosocial skills necessary for addressing their daily life problems and handling challenging situations before, during, and after disasters. A total of 15 sessions, focusing on healthy coping skills, healthy living, study-related issues, effective communication, sleep hygiene, and effective learning and memory, were conducted.

Results:


The study found a significant difference in the participants' knowledge levels about LSE and SEP after the training. The comparison of knowledge on pre- and post-assessment in LSE and SEP shows higher mean scores on the post-assessment (9.39) than on the pre-assessment (1.05), which is a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001).


Conclusion:


Children constitute a significant portion of those affected by disasters and are one of the most vulnerable groups, so they must be given more consideration to participate in the DRR programme.