Highlights

•  Earthquakes cause profound physical and mental health impacts in human history.
•  Affected adults face about twice the risk of short-term stress-related psychiatric disorders.
•  Risk of PTSD is significantly higher in adults affected by earthquakes.
•  Middle-aged males (40-64 years) show higher rates of stress-related mental illnesses short-term (<1 year) and long-term (up to 20 years)

A minority of bereaved adults experiences prolonged grief disorder, depression, and/or posttraumatic stress disorder, with heightened risks observed among bereaved parents. Cognitive-behavioural therapies, both face-to-face and online, have demonstrated efficacy in treating post-loss mental health problems. Mobile phone applications potentially offer an efficient and cost-effective way to deliver self-help to bereaved adults, yet controlled effectiveness studies are lacking.

After disasters, many people seek compensation for physical, psychological or economic damages. However, compensation processes can be perceived as arduous and unfair and potentially create stress for both individuals and communities.

In the last decade, Europe has seen a rise in natural disasters. Due to climate change, an increase of such events is predicted for the future. While natural disasters have been a rare phenomenon in Europe so far, other regions of the world, such as Central and North America or Southeast Asia, have regularly been affected by Hurricanes and Tsunamis. The aim of the current study is to synthesize the literature on child development in immediate stress, prolonged reactions, trauma, and recovery after natural disasters with a special focus on trajectories of (mal-)adaptation.