Family functioning in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
BACKGROUND
Increased understanding of the complex determinants of adverse child mental health outcomes following acute stress such as natural disasters has led to a resurgence of interest in the role of parent psychopathology and parenting. The authors investigated whether family functioning in the post-disaster environment would be impaired relative to a non-exposed sample and potential correlates with family functioning such as disaster-related exposure and child posttraumatic mental health symptoms.


METHODS
Three months after a category 5 tropical cyclone that impacted north Queensland Australia, school-based screening was undertaken to case identify children who may benefit from a mental health intervention. Along with obtaining informed consent, parents completed a measure of family functioning.


RESULTS
Of 145 families of children aged 8 to 12 years, 28.3% met criteria for dysfunction on the Family Adjustment Device, double the frequency in a community sample. The dysfunction group was significantly more likely to have experienced more internalising (anxiety/depression) symptoms. However, in an adjusted logistic regression model this group were not more likely to have elevated disaster-related exposure nor did children in these families validate more PTSD symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
The implications of post-disaster discordant family functioning and possible different causal pathways for depressive and PTSD-related symptomatic responses to traumatic events are discussed.
Kids in Mind Research: The Mater Center for Service Research in Mental Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Brett.McDermott@mater.org.au
Brett M
BM
McDermott
Vanessa E
VE
Cobham
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D055867:Cyclonic Storms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D004190:Disasters / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005192:Family Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011793:Queensland / Q000453:epidemiology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology