The Psychological Effects of Parental Mental Health on Children Experiencing Disaster: The Experience of Bolu Earthquake in Turkey

Abstract

Disasters affect families as a whole, and symptoms displayed by a family member may lead to secondary traumatizations for other members of the family, especially the children. This study examines the effects of parental psychopathology and family functioning on children's psychological problems six months after the earthquake in Bolu, Turkey. Forty-nine children aged between 7 and 14 and their parents were randomly chosen from among 800 families living in a survivor camp in Bolu. Both the children and parents were assessed by trained psychiatrists and psychologists using self-report measures for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety symptoms six months after the earthquake. Family functioning in survivor families was also assessed using the Family Assessment Device (FAD). The results showed that the severity of PTSD in children was mainly affected by the presence of PTSD and the severity of depression in the father. State and trait anxiety scores of children were related to general family functioning. The constellation of PTSD symptomatology was different in fathers than in mothers: the most common type of symptoms was "externalizing" in fathers with PTSD. This study supports the notion that the mere presence of PTSD in parents may not be enough to explain the relational process in families experiencing trauma. Our findings with earthquake survivors suggest that when fathers become more irritable and detached because of PTSD symptoms, their symptoms may affect children more significantly.

Children’s Enduring PTSD Symptoms are Related to Their Family’s Adaptability and Cohesion

“…Disasters affect families as a whole, and symptoms displayed by a family member may lead to secondary traumatizations for other members of the family, especially the children (Breton et al 1993;Flynn and Nelson 1998;Kilic et al 2003;Kiser et al 1998;Walsh 2007). Approaches to infant-caregiver relationship assessment share a dual focus on both the interactional behaviors and the subjective experiences of the dyadic partners (Scheeringa and Zeanah 2001).…”

Healthcare Services Demand in Post-disaster Settings: The 2014 Earthquake in Ludian County, Yunnan Province, China

“…Many of these children reside with grandparents or family friends. Because of the lack of family support, most of these children are not well-cared-for and may have been more vulnerable (Kilic et al 2003). Moreover, Li, et al (2016) identified some children-specific public health and school building risks in the post-disaster period.…”

School-Based Interventions Aimed at the Prevention and Treatment of Adolescents Affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study

“…Among children affected by the natural disasters, the rate of development of PTSD symptoms was proportional to the damage caused by the disaster (Uemoto et al 2012;Usami et al 2012) and the psychological status of their parents (Endo et al 2007;Kiliç et al 2003). Furthermore, girls' psychological status was more strongly affected by the disaster than boys (Kuwabara et al 2014).…”