How to safeguard children’s mental health during emergencies

Development. During their lifetime, people will inevitably encounter a variety of emergencies, ranging from earthquakes, floods, fires, terrorist attacks, and epidemics (such as the currently spreading novel coronavirus disease 2019), to the loss of loved ones, traffic accidents, conflicts with classmates, and physical illnesses. Due to the suddenness and unpredictability of these events, they often have different degrees of influence on the individual’s mental state and can even result in a psychological crisis. As a special group, children are more vulnerable to intrusion and influence because their mental and physical development is not yet mature. If their psychological response to a crisis is not managed promptly and effectively, it can seriously affect their development in terms of mental health and even have long-term effects throughout their lifetime. This article will introduce the current state of development of methods to safeguard children’s mental health in China and describe some standard family intervention methods.