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Commentary Open Access
Volume 4 | Issue 1 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.33696/mentalhealth.4.029

Climate-triggered Flooding and Child Development: Reflecting on Its ‘Often Overlooked’ Implications for Schoolchildren’s Mental Well-being in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

  • 1Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex, UK
+ Affiliations - Affiliations

Corresponding Author

Unyime-Young Mfon, u.mfon@alumni.ids.ac.uk

Received Date: October 03, 2024

Accepted Date: December 20, 2024

Abstract

Climate-induced perennial flooding in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, poses a constant hazard for children's mental and educational development. This paper addresses the ‘often overlooked’ psychological impacts of flooding on schoolchildren, one of the research findings that was not extensively analysed in the recent article, “Mfon, U. Y. (2024). Climate Change Outcomes and Educational Development: Implication of Flooding on the Well-being and School Attendance of Children in Bayelsa State, Nigeria,” in The Climate-Health-Sustainability Nexus: Understanding the Interconnected Impact on Populations and the Environment (p.483). The focal article employed a qualitative phenomenological research framework to collect data through interviews with schoolchildren, teachers, and parents across the eight LGAs of Bayelsa State. The findings indicate that disruption of education and family displacement can cause significant psychological problems for schoolchildren, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Therefore, this paper recommends the integration of mental health interventions into disaster preparedness in educational frameworks to build resilience among vulnerable populations.

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