Less Fearful, More Active: The Families
A student reads his message of thanks to the school counsellors for CBI, Kocaeli.
Photograph by Yakut Temiroğlu-Sundur © UNICEF Turkey 2000
The Families
The programme, in particular the Psycho-education (PE) component was helpful to the parents and children alike since it broadened the arena for informed discussion of the disaster and its effects. Adults, as much as children, suffered tremendous psychological fall-out following the earthquakes and the PE aimed to increase awareness among the population of the Marmara region of the difficulties and problems they might expect to experience.
The results of the information seminars were heartening in that many parents showed that they were prepared to encourage dialogue within their families and with teachers and school authorities about the disaster. A more open communication about feelings, thoughts and reactions, altered behaviours and relationships between adults and children was sought and gained.
Many parents reported that more openness and tolerance of problems had increased their children’s well-being and lead to a greater sense of self-esteem and general improvements between themselves and their partners.
Future applications of the PE will undoubtedly benefit from refinements to linguistic presentation which would accommodate differing age groups and levels of literacy. It was also noted that the questionnaire which assessors used to evaluate the programme actually enhanced the goal (i.e. increased understanding of normal reactions to disaster) and that future Psycho-educational programmes would benefit from elaboration of the questionnaire as a tool to stimulate participants’ interest, priming them for the information they are to be given.
The fully illustrated text of Less Fearful, More Active is also available for download in print-ready pdf format. [PDF 1.25MB]
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