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Separated After a Disaster: Trust and Privacy Issues in Sharing Children's Personal Information
Rachel L Charney1, Terri Rebmann2, Flavio Esposito3
1Department of Pediatrics, Saint Louis University, St Louis, Missouri.
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
|June 20, 2019
Summary
Guardian willingness to share children's information for disaster reunification is high, though privacy concerns exist. Understanding these concerns is key for effective child welfare systems.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Disaster Management
- Child Welfare
Background:
- Unaccompanied children in emergency departments after disasters require effective reunification systems.
- Guardian willingness to use reunification services is crucial for their success.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess guardian willingness to share children's personal information for disaster reunification.
- To identify guardians' concerns, beliefs, and trust in reunification agencies.
Main Methods:
- Survey-based study involving guardians of children in two pediatric emergency departments.
- Data collected on willingness to share information, concerns, trust, and demographics.
- Statistical analyses included chi-square and multivariate linear regression.
Main Results:
- High willingness (95.6%) to share information, with a mean score of 16 out of 19.
- Significant concerns regarding data protection (55.4%) and potential abuse (52.3%).
- Hospitals were trusted more than other reunification agencies (P < .001); perceived importance of reunification correlated with willingness (P < .001).
Conclusions:
- Guardians are generally willing to share children's information to aid disaster reunification.
- Addressing privacy concerns is essential for optimizing child reunification processes after disasters.