Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress in Children After Hurricane Andrew: A Prospective Study

The authors examined symptoms of posttraumatic stress in 3rd-5th grade children during the school year after Hurricane Andrew. From a conceptual model of the effects of traumatic events, 442 children were evaluated 3, 7, and 10 months postdisaster with respect to (a) their exposure to traumatic even...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of consulting and clinical psychology 1996-08, Vol.64 (4), p.712-723
Main Authors: La Greca, Annette M, Silverman, Wendy K, Vernberg, Eric M, Prinstein, Mitchell J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological
Anxiety disorders
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child clinical studies
Disasters
Elementary school students
Factors
Female
Human
Humans
Hurricanes
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Medical sciences
Natural Disasters
Post traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Prospective Studies
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Social research
Social Support
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnosis
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology
Survivors
Symptoms
Young children
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Summary:The authors examined symptoms of posttraumatic stress in 3rd-5th grade children during the school year after Hurricane Andrew. From a conceptual model of the effects of traumatic events, 442 children were evaluated 3, 7, and 10 months postdisaster with respect to (a) their exposure to traumatic events during and after the disaster, (b) their preexisting demographic characteristics, (c) the occurrence of major life stressors, (d) the availability of social support, and (e) the type of coping strategies used to cope with disaster-related distress. Although symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) declined over time, a substantial level of symptomatology was observed up to 10 months after the disaster. All 5 factors in the conceptual model were predictive of children's PTSD symptoms 7 and 10 months postdisaster. Findings are discussed in terms of the potential utility of the model for organizing thinking about factors that predict the emergence and persistence of PTSD symptoms in children.
ISSN:0022-006X
1939-2117
DOI:10.1037/0022-006X.64.4.712