Posttraumatic stress disorder symptom trajectories in Hurricane Katrina affected youth

Self-Brown, Shannon; Lai, Betty S.; Thompson, Julia; McGill, Tia; Kelley, Mary Lou

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2012.11.002

Cited by 93 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(70 reference statements)

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“…Hurricane Katrina caused an estimated 1500 deaths and US$108 billion damage (Knabb et al, 2005). Participants in the present study were part of a larger multi-wave, longitudinal study investigating the psychological impact of Hurricane Katrina on mothers and their children (Kelley et al, 2010; Lai et al, 2015a, 2015b; Lai, Auslander, Fitzpatrick, & Podkowirow, 2014; Self-Brown, Lai, Thompson, McGill, & Kelley, 2013). …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between social support and posttraumatic stress symptoms among youth exposed to a natural disaster

Lai

Osborne

Piscitello

et al. 2018

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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Background: Children are a vulnerable population following a natural disaster, due to their age and dependence on adults. The primary presenting problem children report after disasters is posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Prior research suggests that PTSS is inversely related to social support, which is often disrupted after a disaster. Objective: This study examined the relationship between social support (from parents, teachers, and peers) and PTSS in children affected by Hurricane Katrina. The research contributes to the literature by examining the mechanisms that drive this relationship over time. Methods: In this study, 426 children were followed over four timepoints, beginning 3–7 months after Hurricane Katrina and concluding 25–27 months post-hurricane. Three path models analysed the relationship between social support (from parents, teachers, and peers, measured by the Social Support Scale for Children) and PTSS (measured by the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index). Covariates included child age, minority status, gender, perceived life threat, and actual life threat. Nonsignificant paths were trimmed from the final models. Global fit indices were examined to determine model fit. Results: In the parent and peer social support models, PTSS exhibited statistically significant effects on social support from one wave to the next. In the teacher model, this was only true between Waves 2 and 3. Social support showed a statistically significant effect on PTSS between Wave 2 and Wave 3 in the peer model (standardized estimate = −0.26, p < .0001). No paths from social support to PTSS were significant in the parent and teacher models. Conclusion: Findings support a social selection model in which PTSS undermine social support, particularly in the first two years post-disaster. If these findings are replicated, this suggests that, in cases of limited funding, PTSS should be prioritized, given their cascading effects on social support.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between social support and posttraumatic stress symptoms among youth exposed to a natural disaster

Lai

Osborne

Piscitello

et al. 2018

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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“…Many children report elevated mental health symptoms after disaster exposure, but most children do not report elevated mental health symptoms after disasters [21][22][23][24]. At the same time, only a relatively small minority of children with elevated symptoms report chronic, persistent mental health symptoms over time [12,[25][26][27].…”

Section: An Overview Of Children's Symptoms After Disastersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Children in close proximity to a disaster may vary widely in their experiences, such as what they witnessed and how they perceived the situation. Thus, it is important to assess events witnessed by a child (e.g., destruction), loss experienced (e.g., loss of a loved one or pet), and perceived threat experiences (e.g., thinking that you might die), all of which have been associated with children's post-disaster functioning [7,27].…”

Section: Screeningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Approaches to the Assessment of Children in the Context of Disasters

Lai

Alisic

Lewis

et al. 2016

Curr Psychiatry Rep

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Children exposed to disasters are a vulnerable population, making the assessment of children post-disaster an important issue. Utilizing a Multiple Gating Stepped Care framework, we highlight recent literature related to post-disaster assessment and intervention for children. In particular, we focus on screening, clinical evaluation, and feedback-informed service delivery. Screening allows large populations of children to be assessed at a relatively low cost. Children identified by screening as being at risk may then be assessed through more in-depth clinical evaluations, in order to assess clinical symptoms, strengths, and stressors, and to make determinations about appropriate interventions. Continued assessment during therapy provides important feedback for the delivery of appropriate care. New formats for assessment, as well as issues related to identifying sources for assessment, are discussed. Recommendations for future directions are provided.

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“…The majority of studies on children’s well-being following natural disasters have focused on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Bokszczanin, 2007; Catani, Jacob, Schauer, Kohila, & Neuner, 2008; Fan, Zhang, Yang, Mo, & Liu, 2011; Goenjian et al, 2011; John, Russell, & Russell, 2007; Lai, Kelley, Harrison, Thompson, & Self-Brown, 2015; Self-Brown, Lai, Thompson, McGill, & Kelley, 2013; Stanke, Murray, Amlot, Nurse, & Williams, 2012). Depression and anxiety have also been reported among children post-disaster, and are often comorbid with PTSD (La Greca, Silverman, Lai, & Jaccard, 2010; Lai, La Greca, Auslander, & Short, 2013; Swenson et al, 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, research has indicated that experiencing secondary life stressors such as loss of home, having to change schools and shifts in parental employment and finances should increase the risk of adverse mental health outcomes among children post-disaster (Fan et al, 2011; La Greca et al, 2010; Silverman, 2002). Other factors have also been associated with negative effects on children’s mental health, such as parental distress, negative parenting practices and lack of peer support (Kelley et al, 2010; Self-Brown et al, 2013). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term health of children following the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption: a prospective cohort study

Hlodversdóttir

Thorsteinsdottir

Þórðardóttir

et al. 2018

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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Background: More than 500 million people worldwide live within exposure range of an active volcano and children are a vulnerable subgroup of such exposed populations. However, studies on the effects of volcanic eruptions on children’s health beyond the first year are sparse. Objective: To examine the effect of the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption on physical and mental health symptoms among exposed children in 2010 and 2013 and to identify potential predictive factors for symptoms. Method: In a population-based prospective cohort study, data was collected on the adult population (N = 1615) exposed to the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption and a non-exposed group (N = 697). The exposed group was further divided according to exposure level. All participants answered questionnaires assessing their children´s and their own perceived health status in 2010 and 2013. Results: In 2010, exposed children were more likely than non-exposed children to experience respiratory symptoms (medium exposed OR 1.47; 95% CI 1.07–2.03; high exposed OR 1.52; 95% CI 1.03–2.24) and anxiety/worries (medium exposed OR 2.39; 95% CI 1.67–3.45; high exposed OR 2.77; 95% CI 1.81–4.27). Both genders had an increased risk of symptoms of anxiety/worries but only exposed boys were at increased risk of experiencing headaches and sleep disturbances compared to non-exposed boys. Within the exposed group, children whose homes were damaged were at increased risk of experiencing anxiety/worries (OR 1.62; 95% CI 1.13–2.32) and depressed mood (OR 1.55; 95% CI 1.07–2.24) than children whose homes were not damaged. Among exposed children, no significant decrease of symptoms was detected between 2010 and 2013. Conclusions: Adverse physical and mental health problems experienced by the children exposed to the eruption seem to persist for up to a three-year period post-disaster. These results underline the importance of appropriate follow-up for children after a natural disaster.

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Posttraumatic stress disorder symptom trajectories in Hurricane Katrina affected youth

Cited by 93 publications

References 43 publications

The relationship between social support and posttraumatic stress symptoms among youth exposed to a natural disaster

The relationship between social support and posttraumatic stress symptoms among youth exposed to a natural disaster

Approaches to the Assessment of Children in the Context of Disasters

Long-term health of children following the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption: a prospective cohort study

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