title: Posttraumatic, dissociative and grief symptoms in Turkish children exposed to the 1999 earthquakes.
abstract: Grief and dissociation after traumatic exposures are among the most important predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This article introduces the Traumatic Dissociation and Grief Scale (TDGS), a 23-item measure easily administered. The TDGS, the Child PTSD-Reaction Index (CPTSD-RI), and a questionnaire concerning risk factors related to the event (losses, injury, and witnessing death and injuries) were administered to school-aged children who had been directly exposed to the 1999 earthquakes in Turkey and to a nonexposed control group. Factor analysis of the TDGS yielded four factors: perceptual distortions, body-self distortions, irritability, and guilt and anhedonia. A moderate positive correlation was noted between the TDGS and the CPTSD-RI. Different sets of risk factors were associated with the different scale factors. The results suggest that the assessment of psychopathology in children following a disaster requires the complementary evaluation of symptoms of posttrauma, dissociation, and grief.
authors.affiliation: Tel Aviv Community Mental Health Center and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, 9 Hatzvi St., Tel-Aviv 67197, Israel.
authors.forename: Nathaniel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Laor
authors.forename: Leo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wolmer
authors.forename: Meltem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kora
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yucel
authors.forename: Smadar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Spirman
authors.forename: Yanki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yazgan
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D004190:Disasters / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology