Journal article
Vulnerability factors for disaster-induced child post-traumatic stress disorder: The case for low family resilience and previous mental illness
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, Vol.44(4), pp.384-389
2010
Abstract
Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate whether parent report of family resilience predicted children's disaster-induced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and general emotional symptoms, independent of a broad range of variables including event-related factors, previous child mental illness and social connectedness. Methods: A total of 568 children (mean age=10.2 years, SD=1.3) who attended public primary schools, were screened 3 months after Cyclone Larry devastated the Innisfail region of North Queensland. Measures included parent report on the Family Resilience Measure and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)-emotional subscale and child report on the PTSD Reaction Index, measures of event exposure and social connectedness. Results: Sixty-four students (11.3%) were in the severevery severe PTSD category and 53 families (28.6%) scored in the poor family resilience range. A lower family resilience score was associated with child emotional problems on the SDQ and longer duration of previous child mental health difficulties, but not disaster-induced child PTSD or child threat perception on either bivariate analysis, or as a main or moderator variable on multivariate analysis (main effect: adjusted odds ratio (ORadj)=0.57, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.13-2.44). Similarly, previous mental illness was not a significant predictor of child PTSD in the multivariate model (ORadj=0.75, 95%CI=0.16-3.61). Conclusion: In this post-disaster sample children with existing mental health problems and those of low-resilience families were not at elevated risk of PTSD. The possibility that the aetiological model of disaster-induced child PTSD may differ from usual child and adolescent conceptualizations is discussed.
Details
- Title
- Vulnerability factors for disaster-induced child post-traumatic stress disorder: The case for low family resilience and previous mental illness
- Authors
- Brett M McDermott (Author) - Mater Center for Service Research in Mental HealthVanessa Elise Cobham (Author) - Mater Center for Service Research in Mental HealthHelen Berry (Author) - Australian National UniversityHelen M Stallman (Author) - Queensland University of Technology
- Publication details
- Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, Vol.44(4), pp.384-389
- Publisher
- Sage Publications Ltd.
- Date published
- 2010
- DOI
- 10.3109/00048670903489916
- ISSN
- 0004-8674; 0004-8674
- Organisation Unit
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Thompson Institute; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99513907602621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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