Reunification of displaced children in a disaster: Can children provide information necessary for reunification?

BACKGROUND: Natural and man-made disasters displace millions of people each year. Children are disproportionately at risk due to their physiology and dependent living needs. Familial separation, resulting from displacement, causes physical, emotional, and psychological distress. Reunification depends, in part, on the collection of personally identifiable information (personal data). Children who provide personal data leading to their identification can aid in the reunification process. Despite its importance, there is little data on whether children can provide their personal data and at what age. This study addressed these gaps. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the capability of children to provide personal data necessary for identification. DESIGN: A convenience sample of children from 4 to 10 years of age, presenting to the pediatric emergency department, were enrolled to participate. SETTING: This single-site, cross-sectional study was conducted at a pediatric emergency department in an urban tertiary hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Study team members successfully enrolled 140 children and their caregivers into the study. INTERVENTIONS: Children were asked to provide their personal data. These data were then compared to data provided by the childs caregiver to study the team members. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a TukeyKramar multiple comparison test. RESULTS: Data indicated a dependent relationship between age and knowledge of personal data, and -personal data recitation accuracy differed (statistically significant difference) between age groups. CONCLUSION: Children 5 years of age and older supplied personal data sufficient for identification.