After the Earthquake: Adult Reflections on Adolescent Experiences of a Natural Disaster

This ‘living memory’ study (Smith, 2018, p. 78) investigated the perceived psychoemotional experiences of four senior high school students at one Christian school during and after the February 22, 2011, Christchurch New Zealand earthquake. The literature revealed that children and adolescents might be impacted socially, emotionally and academically by earthquakes, resulting in mental health issues ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder to posttraumatic growth in the victims. Using a qualitative case study and narrative inquiry approach, participants were interviewed seven years after the earthquake. Responses were qualitatively analysed, and coded allowing for the emergence of an Earthquake Impact Profile (EIP) for each respondent. These profiles revealed several mitigating factors that helped the participants personally cope with the stress immediately after the earthquake struck, and in the following months and years. Introduction: kia kaha (stay strong) This study had a nested twofold purpose: firstly to investigate the perceived psycho-emotional reactions of four senior high school students at one Christian school during and after the February 22, 2011, Christchurch New Zealand earthquake (hereafter referred to as the Christchurch earthquake): secondly, to use this qualitative data set to develop a set of Earthquake Impact Profiles (EIPs) for each participant in order to coalesce the “shared brokenness and reassemblage of the rhizomic reach of trauma” (Smith, 2018, p. 78). Three questions were developed in order to guide and frame this study. 1. What support did the students access postdisaster and how did this impact them? 2. What were the self-identified psychoemotional impacts on the students? 3. What was the self-identified academic impact on each of the students? Kia kaha (stay strong) became a popular phrase after the 6.3 magnitude Christchurch earthquake that killed 185 people (O’Connor & Takahashi, 2014; Shepherd, McBride & Lovelock, 2017). As Du Plessis, Sutherland, Gordon and Gibson (2015) found, this cultural, phraseology kia kaha became a symbol of resilience and hope for people experiencing the destruction of their city. Embracing the metaphoric intent of these words, school communities, at least outwardly, seemed to pull together and combine forces to help rebuild their damaged schools (Ormandy, 2014). For weeks after the earthquake, schools were without power and water while some had buildings that needed to be torn down. Others had broken windows and TEACHR Kia kaha (stay strong) became a popular phrase after the 6.3 magnitude Christchurch earthquake that killed 185 people ” “