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Children’s Disaster Reactions: the Influence of Exposure and Personal Characteristics

  • Child and Family Disaster Psychiatry (B Pfefferbaum, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

This paper reviews children’s reactions to disasters and the personal and situational factors that influence their reactions. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic stress reactions are the most commonly studied outcomes, though other conditions also occur including anxiety, depression, behavior problems, and substance use. More recently, traumatic grief and posttraumatic growth have been explored. New research has delineated trajectories of children’s posttraumatic stress reactions and offered insight into the long-term consequences of their disaster experiences. Risk factors for adverse outcomes include pre-disaster vulnerabilities, perception of threat, and loss and life disruptions post-disaster. Areas in need of additional research include studies on the timing and course of depression and anxiety post-event and their interactions with other disorders, disaster-related functional and cognitive impairment, positive outcomes, and coping.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Acknowledgments

This work was conducted by the Terrorism and Disaster Center (TDC), at the University of Missouri and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, a partner in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). TDC is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of HHS, NCTSN, SAMHSA, the University of Missouri, or the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

ᅟ

Conflict of Interest

Natalie Griffin and J. Brian Houston declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Betty Pfefferbaum has received a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration.

Anne K. Jacobs has received consulting fees/honorarium from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and the University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, P.O. Box 26901, WP3217, Oklahoma City, OK, 73126-0901, USA

    Betty Pfefferbaum

  2. Terrorism and Disaster Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, P.O. Box 26901, WP3217, Oklahoma City, OK, 73126-0901, USA

    Betty Pfefferbaum, Anne K. Jacobs & Natalie Griffin

  3. Department of Communication, University of Missouri, 115 Switzler Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211-2310, USA

    J. Brian Houston

Authors
  1. Betty Pfefferbaum
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  2. Anne K. Jacobs
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  3. Natalie Griffin
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  4. J. Brian Houston
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Betty Pfefferbaum.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Child and Family Disaster Psychiatry

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Pfefferbaum, B., Jacobs, A.K., Griffin, N. et al. Children’s Disaster Reactions: the Influence of Exposure and Personal Characteristics. Curr Psychiatry Rep 17, 56 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-015-0598-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-015-0598-5

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