Coping with natural disasters in Yogyakarta, Indonesia: A study of elementary school teachers

The nation of Indonesia is in an area of geological instability, resulting in repeated and severe natural disasters including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis. Teachers, as adult authority figures and people with whom students spend a majority of their day, can play a major role in the lives of children in a disaster-prone community. Four years after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that devastated a primarily rural community in Central Java, we studied 43 elementary school teachers from six primary schools who are responsible for educating hundreds of students annually. First, we examined the relationship between post-earthquake distress and teacher beliefs about efficacy and teacher-reported classroom behavior. Second, we designed a brief psychosocial skills-based intervention to reduce teacher distress and support their capacity to reduce student distress and improve student achievement. Finally, we assessed the impact of this intervention on reducing teacher distress and on improving student behavior and school performance over time. Analyses revealed a significant relationship between teachers’ depression and self-reported negative classroom behavior, a significant relationship between teachers’ posttraumatic distress and general beliefs about teacher efficacy, and a significant drop in depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms from before to after the intervention. This research extends a growing body of research on the potential role of teachers in assisting students in coping with chronic stress in their community. Lessons learned from this program of research can inform schools, school personnel, and long-term community intervention efforts following disasters across the world.