Hurricane Maria’s lasting impact on Puerto Rico’s children revealed in report
More than half the youth had a friend or family member leave the island, a study on the storm’s impact on mental health found
More than half the youth in Puerto Rico had a friend or family member leave the island after Hurricane Maria, according to a study published Friday that reveals the dramatic extent to which the island’s youth were exposed to damaged homes, food and water shortages and threats to their life.
Unlike in most comparable disasters, the devastation and mental health impacts of the category 4 storm were “nearly ubiquitous regardless of geographical location or socioeconomic status”, according to a study about its impact on the mental health of young Puerto Ricans published on Friday in the journal Jama Network Open.