This cohort study uses integrated data from 4 studies of US youths exposed to major hurricanes to assess trajectories of posttraumatic stress symptoms and investigate factors associated with those trajectories.

Objective Sleep plays a critical role in children’s growth and development. This study examined the frequency and persistence of children’s sleep problems following a natural disaster, risk factors for children’s sleep problems, and the bidirectional relationship between children’s sleep problems and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) over time. Methods This study assessed 269 children (53% female, M = 8.70 years, SD = 0.95) exposed to Hurricane Ike at 8 months (Time 1) and 15 months (Time 2) post-disaster. Children completed measures of hurricane exposure and related stressors, stressful life events, sleep problems, and PTSS. Results Children’s sleep problems were significantly correlated from Time 1 to Time 2 (r = .28, p < .001). Risk factors for sleep problems at Time 2 were younger age, sleep problems at Time 1, and PTSS, not including sleep items, at Time 1. Examinations of the bidirectional relationship between sleep problems and PTSS indicated that PTSS significantly predicted later sleep problems, but sleep problems did not significantly predict later PTSS. Conclusions Findings demonstrate that PTSS may contribute to the development and course of children’s sleep problems post-disaster.

Objective: Demographically corrected norms typically account for the effects of age, education, and in some cases, sex and other factors (e.g. race/ethnicity). However, generalizability of normative standards to different countries and ethnic groups is not universal. This study sought to determine whether demographically specific Zambian neuropsychological norms would generalize to a group of South African women. Method: 212 English-Xhosa bilingual, South African (SA) women were administered a comprehensive neuropsychological (NP) test battery in either English or Xhosa. We examined rates of "impairment" using Global Deficit Scores (GDS) based upon published, demographically corrected norms from a nearby African country (Zambia). Using multiple regression, we examined the extent to which Zambian norms "corrected" for the effects of age and education in this SA sample. Results: Compared to the normative standards from Zambia, the South African women performed somewhat worse than expected on a few test measures and better than expected on others, but their GDS and associated "impairment" rates were close to what was seen in Zambia. Demographically corrected Zambian norms adequately adjusted for the effects of age and years of education in this sample of SA women, with the exception that Zambian norms appeared to "under correct" for the positive effects of years of education on tests of information processing speed.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a disaster event associated with negative social, mental health, financial, and academic outcomes for college students. However, there is limited evidence to guide efforts to help support college students during the crisis. This study used a disaster conceptual model to evaluate the relationship between COVID-19 stressors and mental health and purpose in college students in the United States.Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 251 undergraduates through an online survey between April and May 2020.Results: Students were exposed to multiple COVID-19 stressors (M = 8.14, SD = 3.02). Overall, 53.0 percent reported moderate to severe levels of depression, 40.7 percent reported moderate to severe levels of anxiety, and 39.4 percent endorsed having a clear sense of purpose in life. A disaster conceptual model fit the data well (c2 [30] = 31.93, p = .37, CFI = 0.995, RMSEA = 0.02, SRMR = 0.04). COVID-19 stressors were directly associated with depression and anxiety, and inversely associated with purpose. Perceived stress was an intervening variable in this relationship.Conclusion: Findings highlight the relationship between COVID-19 disaster stressors and mental health and purpose outcomes and provide evidence which may help guide recovery efforts.