Family functioning and overprotection following a natural disaster: the longitudinal effects of post-traumatic morbidity.
The longitudinal impact of a natural disaster on the patterns of interaction in families with latency-aged children is examined. An 11-item questionnaire was developed and two factors were isolated: irritable distress and involvement. A group of 183 disaster-affected families were contrasted with 497 families who had not been exposed to the disaster. Eight months after the disaster, the interaction in the disaster-affected families was characterised by increased levels of conflict, irritability and withdrawal. Maternal overprotection was also a common feature of the pattern of care in these families. Post-traumatic morbidity in parents was the major determinant of the observed changes in family functioning and the overprotection.
McFarlane
A C
AC
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Flinders University of South Australia, Bedford Park.
D002648:Child; D004190:Disasters; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005390:Fires; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires