Post-Disaster Mental Health Among Parent-Child Dyads After a Major Earthquake in Indonesia

School-based psychosocial and educational interventions for children and adolescents after the 1999 Marmara earthquakes in Turkey: A review on lessons learned

The massive earthquakes experienced in August and November 1999 affected thousands of people in the Marmara region, the most densely populated and industrialized part of Turkey. The humanitarian and economic cost was so enormous, and these earthquakes have changed the Turkish disaster management system and the Turkish people's approach to disasters. Marmara earthquakes are also considered as a milestone in the provision of psychosocial services for disaster victims. This paper aims to review the psychosocial interventions targeting children, adolescents, and their families after the 1999 earthquakes in Turkey. The progression from initial responses to more organized psychosocial interventions is outlined. Conducting the interventions at schools has ensured that thousands of children, teachers, and parents are reached in the most efficient and effective way possible. The significance of the school context in designing psychosocial interventions is highlighted and implications of the lessons learned for traumatic experiences of children and parents are also explored. It is evaluated that these inferences obtained from the Marmara earthquake in Turkey can be used in disasters around the world.

Perceived parental depression and PTSD in adolescents: mediating roles of attachment insecurity and coping style

Background: Earthquakes can cause negative psychological states in adolescents and their parents, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Previous cross-sectional studies have shown that adolescents who perceive parental depression after an earthquake are more likely to experience PTSD. However, the mechanism underlying this process remains unclear and previous studies have not examined the association between these factors.Objective: The current study explored the mediating roles of attachment insecurity and coping style in the association between perceived parental depression and PTSD in adolescents after the Jiuzhaigou earthquake.Method: In total, 391 participants completed follow-up questionnaires at 12, 21, and 27 months (T1-T3, respectively) after the Jiuzhaigou earthquake.Results: T1 perceived parental depression was not a direct predictor of T3 PTSD in adolescents. In the full mediation model, T1 perceived parental depression predicted T3 PTSD in adolescents indirectly via T2 attachment insecurities through T2 emotion-focused coping.Conclusion: The findings highlight that attachment insecurity and emotion-focused coping mediated the relationship between perceived parental depression and PTSD in adolescents following an earthquake. To alleviate PTSD in adolescents, efforts should be directed toward reducing perceived parental depressive symptoms and emotion-focused coping, and promoting the formation of secure attachment styles.

Maternal mental health mediates the effects of pandemic-related stressors on adolescent psychopathology during COVID-19

BACKGROUND

This study examined whether COVID-19-related maternal mental health changes contributed to changes in adolescent psychopathology.

METHODS

A community sample of 226 adolescents (12 years old before COVID-19) and their mothers were asked to complete COVID-19 surveys early in the pandemic (April-May 2020, adolescents 14 years) and approximately 6 months later (November 2020-January 2021). Surveys assessed pandemic-related stressors (health, financial, social, school, environment) and mental health.

RESULTS

Lower pre-pandemic family income-to-needs ratio was associated with higher pre-pandemic maternal mental health symptoms (anxiety, depression) and adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems, and with experiencing more pandemic-related stressors. Pandemic-related stressors predicted increases in maternal mental health symptoms, but not adolescent symptoms when other variables were covaried. Higher maternal mental health symptoms predicted concurrent increases in adolescent internalizing and externalizing. Maternal mental health mediated the effects of pre-pandemic income and pandemic-related stressors on adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems.

CONCLUSIONS

Results indicate that adolescent mental health is closely tied to maternal mental health during community-level stressors such as COVID-19, and that pre-existing family economic context and adolescent symptoms increase risk for elevations in symptoms of psychopathology.

Maternal posttraumatic stress predicts Mother-Child Symptom Flare-Ups over Time

Although concurrent associations between parent and child posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) have been well-documented, few longitudinal studies have examined bidirectional influences by modeling the effects of both parent and child PTSS simultaneously over time. The current study examines patterns of PTSS in children and their mothers beginning in preschool and continuing through elementary school age (ages 4-9 years) in a large, heterogeneous sample (N = 331 mother-child dyads). Mothers reported on their own and their child's posttraumatic stress symptoms. A random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) was used to examine associations between symptoms across six time points. Results indicated that maternal and child symptoms were associated with each other at concurrent time points and tended to fluctuate in a synchronized manner relative to their overall mean symptom levels. Longitudinal cross-lagged paths were significant from mother to child, but non-significant from child to mother, suggesting that mothers' symptom fluctuation at one time point predicted significant fluctuation in children's symptoms at the subsequent time point. The concurrent co-variation of maternal and child symptoms and the predictive nature of maternal symptom flare-ups have important implications for both maternal and child mental health interventions and underscore the importance of attending to mothers' symptomatology early in treatment.

Dyadic associations between COVID-19-related stress and mental well-being among parents and children in Hong Kong: An actor-partner interdependence model approach

The spread of COVID-19 and its subsequent social distancing policies have profoundly impacted the lives of parents and children. Prolonged exposure to parenting-related responsibilities and heightened levels of family conflict under stay-at-home orders coupled with reduced access to support systems and resources have rendered parents and children more prone to stress and mental health difficulties. Drawing on a transactional model of parent-child interactions, the present study applied an actor-partner interdependence model approach to examine the transactional relationship between COVID-19-related stress and mental well-being among parents and children. Data from 109 Chinese parent-child dyads in Hong Kong were included in the study. Parents and their 8- to 10-year-old children completed a questionnaire on COVID-19-related stress, parent-child relationships, and mental well-being. The results showed that 53.2% and 30.3% of the parents and children, respectively, showed poor mental well-being, indicating possible emotional problems. Both actor and partner effects of parent COVID-19-related stress were found. Parent COVID-19-related stress was indirectly related to lower levels of parent and child mental well-being, through the mediation of parent-child conflict. To facilitate psychological adjustment following the COVID-19 outbreak, effective family-based mental health and parenting interventions are needed to promote family cohesion and alleviate stress-induced psychological symptoms. Even in the time of social distancing, telepsychotherapy and other online non-psychotherapeutic interventions can serve as a valid alternative for parents and children who experience excessive distress. Implications for psychological services, family-friendly policies, and social protection measures are also discussed.

Social support in a parenting Facebook group during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective

This paper includes a mixed methods content analysis of a parenting Facebook group focused on COVID-19. We analyze participants' posts to identify the types of support parents sought and gave.

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased parental stress and challenges related to children's development. Many families turned to social media as a source of information and social support.

Method

We analyzed 1,180 posts from a large, closed Facebook group focused on parenting during COVID-19. We coded posts using a modified version of social support theory and supplemented this analysis with codes related to giving and receiving support, post format, and topic.

Results

Participants frequently offered informational support, typically reposting content from other sources. There were fewer instances of soliciting support, but these posts had significantly more comments. The most common topics discussed were parenting and child development, remote schooling support, literacy, and adult mental health.

Conclusion

Findings illustrate the benefits and challenges of online support communities for parents, especially those on social media platforms.

Implications

These results suggest areas where parents may need or want support during and after COVID-19 and ways in which social media can serve as a form of parenting social support.

Child Mental Health and Sleep Disturbances During the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

Many children have experienced unprecedented levels of stress as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic due to school closures, strained resources, and excess morbidity and mortality. The current study examines change in children's mental health and sleep during the early months of the US pandemic and identifies risk and protective factors. In May 2020, a total of 225 parents reported on the mental health and sleep of each child (N = 392 children) living in their household prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and about their functioning in the past month. McNemar's test examined change in mental health and sleep disturbance across developmental stage. Bivariate and multivariate generalized estimating equations examined predictors of change in mental health and sleep. Each age group showed a significant change in mental health and sleep outcomes, but the development of mental health problems was greater for older children. Parental caregiving strain (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-5.27) was identified as a risk factor associated with children developing anxiety, and income loss was associated with developing sleep disturbances (aOR = 2.34; 95% CI, 1.06-5.17). Parental receipt of emotional support was identified as a protective factor for all child health outcomes. Policies and interventions that promote access to mental health services, provide financial safety nets, and strengthen social support networks for families are needed.

The Effects of Maternal Disaster Exposure on Adolescent Mental Health 12 Years Later

Natural disasters adversely impact children's mental health, with increased parent or child exposure and subsequent parental distress predicting poorer outcomes. It remains unknown, however, whether the psychological consequences of disasters for children persist long-term, and if so, why and for whom. We therefore examined the effects of mothers' exposure to Hurricane Katrina on adolescent children's mental health 12 years later, distinguishing between direct effects of disaster exposure and effects mediated by maternal distress, and evaluating moderation by child age and gender. Data were from a 2003-2018 study of young, low-income, primarily African American mothers living in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina occurred in 2005 (n = 328). Mothers rated their mental health about one year pre-Katrina and one, four, and 12 years afterwards. They reported on an adolescent child's (ages 10-17, mean = 14.46) internalizing and externalizing symptoms 12 years post-Katrina using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Path analytic models adjusting for mothers' pre-disaster distress showed that, whereas the direct effects of maternal hurricane exposures on child mental health were not significant, the indirect effects were. Specifically, mothers who experienced more Katrina-related stressors had higher distress thereafter, which predicted poorer child outcomes. Results did not differ significantly by child age. Gender differences are discussed. Findings suggest that disasters can affect child mental health for many years, even for those who were very young or not yet born at the time, due to parents' disaster-related distress. Addressing parents' mental health needs in the aftermath of disasters may improve child well-being long-term.

Earthquake exposure, adverse childhood experiences, and psychosocial functioning in Chilean children: A longitudinal study

The impact of an 8.8 magnitude Chilean earthquake on elementary school students' psychosocial functioning was assessed along with exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Skills for Life, a national school-based mental health program in Chile, routinely assesses first- and third-grade students' psychosocial functioning and classroom adaptation. Students (N = 19,627) were screened before (2009) and after (2011) the 2010 earthquake with parent- and teacher-report measures and with a parent-report of four ACEs (family psychopathology, child chronic illness, family social isolation, father absence). Earthquake exposure was categorized as mild, moderate, or severe for Chile's 15 regions. Multilevel models analyzed the unadjusted and adjusted impacts of earthquake exposure and ACEs on functioning while clustering for school- and district-level effects. In covariate-adjusted models, earthquake exposure and three ACEs were significantly associated with worsened psychosocial functioning; earthquake exposure and all four ACEs were significantly associated with worsened classroom adaptation. New family psychopathology, B = 1.90, p < .001; chronic illness, B = 2.25, p < .001; and severe earthquake impact, B = 1.29, p < .001, held the strongest negative effects on psychosocial well-being. Moderate, B = 3.04, p = .011, and severe earthquake exposure, B = 2.53, p = .047, and new family psychopathology, B = 1.99, p < .001, were associated with the worst classroom functioning 1-year postdisaster. Findings suggest that both exogenous and home-based stressors can have significant consequences for children's psychosocial functioning and classroom adaptation, and routine screening helps quantify how individual students are affected by chronic versus acute stressors.

Promoting Environmental Justice and Sustainability in Social Work Practice in Rural Community: A Systematic Review

Social work’s response to global climate change has dramatically increased over the last several years. Similarly, growing attention has been paid to rural social work; less clear, however, is how social work, responsive to global climate change, is developed, deployed, and understood in rural contexts; this systematic review elaborates on current social work contributions (research, practice, and policymaking), promoting environmental justice and sustainability in rural communities. Utilizing the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) approach, this article thematically analyzed and synthesized 174 journal articles on social work-specific interventions and environmental justice. The results illustrate insights into the experiences, practices, or objectives of rural social workers vis-à-vis climate change. Significant themes from the literature demonstrated that gender, age, and race limited access to social work services and climate-related disaster response support in rural settings; this article argues that rural community-driven social work practices focused on environmental justice and sustainability should be encouraged and that policy advocacy attentive to climate change and its impact on vulnerable and marginalized groups should be pursued. Current and prospective social work scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders should collaborate with local rural communities to address their unique needs related to climate change. In turn, grassroots strategies should be co-developed to promote climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, ultimately achieving the goal of building resilient, healthy, and sustainable rural communities.

Associations of childhood neglect, difficulties in emotion regulation, and psychological distresses to COVID-19 pandemic: An intergenerational analysis

BACKGROUND

Although individuals' psychological responses to trauma are varied, significant associations between parental and offspring's reactions have been documented among trauma-exposed families. Common susceptible factors originated from intergenerational transmission may be underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the intergenerational transmission of depression and anxiety during early outbreak of COVID-19 and further examined whether the transmission of child neglect and difficulties in emotion regulation (ER) was associated with the transmission of psychological distresses.

METHODS

Self-reported questionnaires of depression, anxiety, COVID-19 related worries, difficulties in ER, physical and emotional neglect suffered in childhood were completed by 2011 Chinese parent - offspring dyads. Path analysis was used to examine hypothesized relationships.

RESULTS

The proportions of physical neglect and emotional neglect were 31.2% and 16.9% respectively among parents, while 28.6% and 20.8% respectively among offspring. There were remarkably similar in response patterns between parents and offspring. Parents' COVID-19 related worries, depression and anxiety levels were significantly associated with offspring's COVID-19 related worries, depression and anxiety. Difficulties in ER not only impacted psychological distresses directly, but also mediated the relationships between childhood neglect and psychological distresses among both parents and offspring. Difficulties in ER and childhood neglect, as important risk factors, were modestly transmitted from parent to offspring.

CONCLUSIONS

Family members shared a certain degree of similarity in psychological reactions to trauma. Transmitted susceptible factors from parents to offspring may contribute to this similarity. Family therapy may be suitable for family members exposed to the same traumatic events.

Children academic stress, mothers’ anxiety and Mother-Child relationship during COVID-19 in China

In this study, the researcher aims to examine and provide some knowledge of COVID-19 impact on mother-child relationship, children perceived academic stress and mothers' anxiety among families in mainland China (N = 1512). The researcher confirms that mental health symptoms resulting from Covid-19 are significant, with extensive impacts on mothers' anxieties, children's academic stress, and mother-child conflict and closeness. The researcher also show significant link between students' tremendous academic stress and students completing their final grade. The author highlights the need for health policies to expand families' psychological well-being especially in crisis time.

The Protective Role of Parent Resilience on Mental Health and the Parent-Child Relationship During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is linked to particularly potent psychological effects for children and their caregivers while families adjust to new daily routines for work, education, and self-care. Longitudinal associations are presented from a national sample of 271 parents (mean age = 35.29 years, 48.5% female) on resilience, mental health and stress indicators, and parenting outcomes. Multigroup path model results indicate significant associations between resilience and parent stress or parent perceived child stress initiates a sequence of significant linkages to parent depression, followed by caregiver burden and parent-child relationship quality. This final set of linkages between depression and both parenting outcomes were significantly stronger for men, who also reported higher rates of perceived child stress. Results suggest that fathers' depression symptoms and associated spill-over to perceived child stress is producing stronger effects on their parenting experiences than effects reported by mothers.

Mental health trajectories of individuals and families following the COVID-19 pandemic: Study protocol of a longitudinal investigation and prevention program

Introduction

Many adults, adolescents and children are suffering from persistent stress symptoms in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to characterize long-term trajectories of mental health and to reduce the transition to manifest mental disorders by means of a stepped care program for indicated prevention.

Methods and analysis

Using a prospective-longitudinal design, we will assess the mental strain of the pandemic using the Patient Health Questionnaire, Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire and Spence Child Anxiety Scale. Hair samples will be collected to assess cortisol as a biological stress marker of the previous months. Additionally, we will implement a stepped-care program with online- and face-to-face-interventions for adults, adolescents, and children. After that we will assess long-term trajectories of mental health at 6, 12, and 24 months follow-up. The primary outcome will be psychological distress (depression, anxiety and somatoform symptoms). Data will be analyzed with general linear model and machine learning. This study will contribute to the understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. The evaluation of the stepped-care program and longitudinal investigation will inform clinicians and mental health stakeholders on populations at risk, disease trajectories and the sufficiency of indicated prevention to ameliorate the mental strain of the pandemic.

Ethics and dissemination

The study is performed according to the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Department of Psychology at the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin (no. 2020-35).

Trial registration number

DRKS00023220.

Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 Social Distancing and Social Vulnerability on Family Functioning in an International Sample of Households with and without Children

The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide event that has exacerbated stress and caused significant disruptions in the day-to-day living of families. Of particular concern are socially vulnerable families, which have felt the impacts of the pandemic most acutely. Because stress can alter family dynamics, it is important to understand which stressors impact families the most, and what resources can be leveraged to strengthen family functioning. The current study examined the impacts of COVID-19 on the conflict and cohesion of households with children compared to households without children. Additionally, we sought to assess how conflict and cohesion are related to social vulnerabilities in the context of the pandemic. Using an international sample, we analyzed responses to the COVID-19 Household Environment Scale (N = 4122) using descriptive and bivariate analyses. Latent class analysis was used to identify patterns of family functioning in households with and without children. We found that social vulnerability was associated with more disrupted family functioning, and that households with children (n = 2666) reported less disrupted family functioning when compared to households without children (n = 1456), despite having higher social vulnerability scores. Our exploratory latent class analysis identified a 5-class model among both subgroups. Conflict, cohesion, family functioning and social vulnerability varied significantly by subgroup and class membership. Our findings add to a body of evidence that argues that despite facing greater vulnerability, households with children have many strengths to draw from. Family interventions that help to promote family cohesion and conflict resolution can foster resilience in stressful circumstances.

COVID-19, child's behavior problems, and mother's anxiety and mentalization: A mediated moderation model

We examined the direct and indirect links between COVID-19, maternal anxiety symptoms, and child behavior problems as well as the mediation-moderation links of mothers' anxiety symptoms and mentalization skills with the prediction of child behavior problems. A sample of 140 Israeli mothers with preschool children comprised the study's two groups: A COVID-19 group (n = 53), recruited shortly after the pandemic outbreak, and a pre-COVID-19 group (n = 87), recruited prior to the pandemic. Mothers completed online questionnaires regarding their own anxiety symptoms (BSI anxiety subscale) and their children's internalizing and externalizing behaviors (CBCL). Maternal mentalization was assessed via the mind-mindedness representational procedure. Findings showed that mothers in the COVID-19 group experienced more anxiety symptoms and perceived their children as having more externalizing and internalizing behaviors compared to mothers in the pre-COVID-19 group. Mothers' anxiety symptoms mediated the effect of the pandemic on children's behaviors so that the higher the mothers' anxiety, the more externalizing and internalizing behaviors among the children. Mothers' mentalization moderated the association between the pandemic and the children's externalizing behaviors. Specifically, when mothers showed higher mentalization skills (higher mind-mindedness), the indirect effect of anxiety on the link between COVID-19 and children's externalizing behaviors was weaker compared to when mothers showed lower mentalization skills (lower mind-mindedness). The implications of these findings for preventive and treatment interventions that aim to reduce maternal anxiety and enhance mentalization skills to prevent children's behavior problems in the context of COVID-19 are discussed.

Parental Internalizing Psychopathology and PTSD in Offspring after the 2012 Earthquake in Italy

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common in youths after earthquakes, with parental psychopathology among the most significant predictors. This study investigated the contribution and the interactional effects of parental internalizing psychopathology, the severity of exposure to the earthquake, and past traumatic events to predict PTSD in offspring, also testing the reverse pattern. Two years after the 2012 earthquake in Italy, 843 children and adolescents (9-15 years) living in two differently affected areas were administered a questionnaire on traumatic exposure and the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index. Anxiety, depression, and somatization were assessed in 1162 parents through the SCL-90-R. General linear model showed that, for offspring in the high-impact area, predictors of PTSD were earthquake exposure, past trauma, and parental internalizing symptoms, taken individually. An interaction between earthquake exposure and parental depression or anxiety (not somatization) was also found. In the low-impact area, youth PTSD was only predicted by earthquake exposure. The reverse pattern was significant, with parental psychopathology explained by offspring PTSD. Overall, findings support the association between parental and offspring psychopathology after natural disasters, emphasizing the importance of environmental factors in this relationship. Although further research is needed, these results should be carefully considered when developing mental health interventions.

Are the kids really alright? Impact of COVID-19 on mental health in a majority Black American sample of schoolchildren

Children from historically disadvantaged groups (racial minorities, lower socioeconomic status [SES]) may be particularly susceptible to mental health consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the impact of the pandemic, including mental health symptoms and COVID-19-related fears and behaviors, in a sample of majority Black American (72%) children (n=64, ages 7-10, 24 female) from an urban area with high infection rates. Children completed a mental health screening form prior to the pandemic (October 2019) and at two time points during the pandemic (May, August 2020). We examined the impact of SES on mental health changes over time, COVID-19 fears and behaviors, and perceived impact of the pandemic. We also tested whether baseline mental health predicted the impact of COVID-19. Children's fears of illness increased over time, and these effects were independent of race and SES. However, lower SES children reported more fears about social distancing during the pandemic as compared to higher SES children. Lower SES children also reported more internalizing symptoms at baseline, which decreased in this group following stay-at-home orders. Results highlight the need to reduce the risk of persistent fear and mitigate the mental health consequences among vulnerable pediatric populations during and after the pandemic.

Insecure Attachment to Parents and PTSD among Adolescents: The Roles of Parent-Child Communication, Perceived Parental Depression, and Intrusive Rumination

Based on attachment theory and a social-cognitive model of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this study examined the roles of parent-child communication, perceived parental depression, and intrusive rumination in the association between insecure attachment to parents and PTSD among adolescents following the Jiuzhaigou earthquake. In this study, 620 adolescents were recruited to complete self-report questionnaires. The results showed that the direct association between anxious attachment and PTSD was significant, but that between avoidant attachment and PTSD was non-significant. In addition, both anxious and avoidant attachment had indirect associations with PTSD via the mediating effects of parent-child communication openness and problems, perceived parental depression, and intrusive rumination. However, the specific paths between anxious and avoidant attachment and PTSD were different. The findings indicated that insecure attachment among adolescents following the earthquake was predictive for their PTSD, and the mechanisms underlying the association between anxious attachment and PTSD and the association between avoidant attachment and PTSD were distinct. To alleviate PTSD, more attention should be paid to improving the quality of parent-child communication for adolescents with avoidant attachment to parents, and to reducing negative cognition in adolescents with anxious attachment.

Short-term impacts of COVID-19 on family caregivers: Emotion regulation, coping, and mental health

Background

The negative mental health impact of coronavirus disease 2019‐related stressors may be heightened for those caring for children, who bear responsibity for their welfare during disasters.

Aim

Based on the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, we inquired whether caregivers' emotion regulation and coping behavior were associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS).

Materials & Methods

Data were collected through a national online survey in April 2020, and again 60 days later.

Results:Of the 801 longitudinal cases, 176 (63.6% female; mean age = 33.5) reported caring for minors in their homes during the pandemic. Over 20% of caregivers experienced clinically concerning PTSS, rates higher than their noncaregiving counterparts. Regression analysis indicates caregivers' baseline mental health symptoms and emotion regulation predicted PTSS 60 days later.

Discussion

Implications for needed parenting supports among families experiencing traumatic stress are provided.

Conclusion

Anxiety symptoms at baseline were the most significant and consistent contributor to all models and were significantly higher among those with clinically concerning levels of PTSS suggesting a clear intervention target.

The Association between Child and Parent Psychiatric Disorders in Families Exposed to Flood and/or Dioxin

Associations of disaster mental health sequelae between children and their parents have been demonstrated, but not using full diagnostic assessment. This study examined children and their parents after a series of disasters in 1982 to investigate associations of their psychiatric outcomes. Members of 169 families exposed to floods and/or dioxin or no disaster were assessed in 1986–1987 with structured diagnostic interviews. This vintage dataset collected several decades ago provides new information to this field because of the methodological rigor that is unparalleled in this literature. Disaster-related PTSD and incident postdisaster disorders in children were associated, respectively with disaster-related PTSD and incident postdisaster disorders in the chief caregiver and mother. More flood-only than dioxin-only exposed parents reported great harm by the disaster, but neither children nor parents in these two groups differed in incident psychiatric disorders. Although this study did not determine the direction of causal influences, its findings suggest that clinicians working with disaster-exposed families should work with children and adult members together, as their mental health outcomes may be intertwined.

Parent and Child's Negative Emotions During COVID-19: The Moderating Role of Parental Attachment Style

In February 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) appeared and spread rapidly in Italy. With the health emergency and social isolation, parents started spending more time with their children, and they might have experienced greater distress. Attachment style is considered as an effective emotion regulation strategy in the parent-child relationship. However, few empirical studies have addressed this issue. Based on attachment theory, this study aimed to find parental attachment style as a candidate to moderate the relation between parents' negative emotions and their perceptions of their children's negative emotions related to COVID-19. Parents (Mage = 42.55 ± 6.56, 88.2% female) of 838 Italian children and adolescents aged 3 to 18 years participated in an online survey. Results showed that parents with a fearful attachment style had significantly higher negative emotions when facing COVID-19 than those with other attachment styles. Moreover, parents with a dismissing attachment style perceived fewer negative emotions in their children than parents with fearful and preoccupied styles. At last, higher parents' negative emotions were associated with greater perception of children's negative emotions only in parents classified as secure and fearful. These findings suggest that parents with dismissing and fearful attachment styles and their children may be at higher risk during the COVID-19 pandemic and they should be given long-term attention.

Mediation of Mothers' Anxiety and Parenting in Children's Behavior Problems during COVID-19

The outbreak of COVID-19 is affecting the lives of millions of families around the world. The current study was carried out in Israel, following the pandemic's initial outbreak and during the resulting enforced quarantine, confining parents and children to their homes. A sample of 141 Israeli mothers with at least one child between the ages of 3 and 12 (M = 6.92, SD = 2.55) participated as volunteers. About half the sample (50.7%) consisted of girls. Most mothers were cohabiting with a spouse (93%). Mothers completed online questionnaires about their perceptions about the health and economic threats of COVID-19, availability of social support, their anxiety symptoms, hostile/coercive and supportive/engaged parenting behavior, and their children's behavior problems. Results showed expected significant associations between the mothers' reports about having little social support, their anxiety symptoms, hostile/coercive and supportive/engaged parenting behavior, and children's externalizing problems. Likewise, expected significant associations were found between mothers' perceptions about the health and economic threats of COVID-19, their anxiety symptoms, hostile/coercive parenting behavior, and children's internalizing and externalizing problems. Importantly, maternal anxiety and hostile/coercive parenting behavior mediated the associations between lack of support, negative perceptions about the health and economic threats of COVID-19, and children's behavior problems. These findings stress the importance of mothers' mental health and parenting behaviors for children's socioemotional adaptation in the context of COVID-19. Implications of the findings for family interventions intended to help parents and children at this time are suggested.

Reciprocal effects of maternal and child internalizing symptoms before and after a natural disaster

After natural disasters, mothers and children are vulnerable to internalizing symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, and levels of mothers' and children's symptoms are significantly associated. However, the disaster literature has rarely examined reciprocal effects within families. The present study capitalizes on the occurrence of Hurricane Sandy during the course of an ongoing longitudinal study to address this gap. Three-hundred and 47 children (54.2% male, 84.7% Caucasian) and their mothers completed measures of internalizing symptoms when the children were 9-years-old. Hurricane Sandy occurred an average of 1 year later. Eight weeks after the hurricane, mothers and children completed the same measures again. Mothers also reported on their family's stress exposure from Hurricane Sandy. After controlling for predisaster symptoms, longitudinal actor-partner interdependence models indicated that mother's and children's internalizing symptoms were linked. Mothers' prehurricane depression symptoms also predicted increases in children's depression symptoms over time independent of hurricane-related stress. Children's prehurricane anxiety symptoms predicted increases in mothers' depression symptoms only at low levels of hurricane-related stress. Rather than the emergence of reciprocal effects, mother's depression symptoms and children's internalizing symptoms changed in tandem after Hurricane Sandy. High levels of Hurricane Sandy stress did not produce symptom spillover effects, but rather may have interrupted the unfolding of normative developmental parent-child reciprocal symptom processes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Examining the impact of COVID-19 in ethnically diverse families with young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced challenges to families with young children with developmental delays. Beyond the widespread concerns surrounding illness, loss of employment and social isolation, caregivers are responsible for overseeing their children's educational and therapeutic programmes at home often without the much needed support of professionals.

METHOD

The present study sought to examine the impact of COVID-19 in 77 ethnically, linguistically and socioeconomically diverse families with young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) in California and Oregon, who were participating in larger intervention studies. Parents responded to five interview questions about the impact of the pandemic, services for their child, silver linings or positive aspects, coping and their concerns about the long-term impact of the pandemic.

RESULTS

Parents reported that their biggest challenge was being at home caring for their children with the loss of many essential services. Parents reported some positive aspects of the pandemic, especially being together as a family. Although there were positive aspects of the situation, many parents expressed concern about long-term impacts of the pandemic on their children's development, given the loss of services, education and social engagement opportunities.

CONCLUSION

Results suggest that parents of young children with IDD report significant challenges at home during the pandemic. Professional support, especially during the reopening phases, will be critical to support family well-being and child developmental outcomes.

Testing the Effects of COVID-19 Confinement in Spanish Children: The Role of Parents' Distress, Emotional Problems and Specific Parenting

The present study aimed to examine the effects of the Spanish confinement derived from the COVID-19 crisis on children and their families, accounting for child's age. A range of child negative (e.g., conduct problems) and positive outcomes (e.g., routine maintenance) were examined, along with a set of parent-related variables, including resilience, perceived distress, emotional problems, parenting distress and specific parenting practices (e.g., structured or avoidant parenting), which were modeled through path analysis to better understand child adjustment. Data were collected in April 2020, with information for the present study provided by 940 (89.6%) mothers, 102 (9.7%) fathers and 7 (0.7%) different caregivers, who informed on 1049 Spanish children (50.4% girls) aged 3 to 12 years (M_age = 7.29; SD = 2.39). The results suggested that, according to parents' information, most children did not show important changes in behavior, although some increasing rates were observed for both negative and positive outcomes. Child adjustment was influenced by a chain of effects, derived from parents' perceived distress and emotional response to the COVID-19 crisis, via parenting distress and specific parenting practices. While parenting distress in particular triggered child negative outcomes, specific parenting practices were more closely related to child positive outcomes. These findings may help to better inform, for potential future outbreaks, effective guidelines and prevention programs aimed at promoting the child's well-being in the family.

Testing the Effects of COVID-19 Confinement in Spanish Children: The Role of Parents' Distress, Emotional Problems and Specific Parenting

The present study aimed to examine the effects of the Spanish confinement derived from the COVID-19 crisis on children and their families, accounting for child's age. A range of child negative (e.g., conduct problems) and positive outcomes (e.g., routine maintenance) were examined, along with a set of parent-related variables, including resilience, perceived distress, emotional problems, parenting distress and specific parenting practices (e.g., structured or avoidant parenting), which were modeled through path analysis to better understand child adjustment. Data were collected in April 2020, with information for the present study provided by 940 (89.6%) mothers, 102 (9.7%) fathers and 7 (0.7%) different caregivers, who informed on 1049 Spanish children (50.4% girls) aged 3 to 12 years (Mage = 7.29; SD = 2.39). The results suggested that, according to parents' information, most children did not show important changes in behavior, although some increasing rates were observed for both negative and positive outcomes. Child adjustment was influenced by a chain of effects, derived from parents' perceived distress and emotional response to the COVID-19 crisis, via parenting distress and specific parenting practices. While parenting distress in particular triggered child negative outcomes, specific parenting practices were more closely related to child positive outcomes. These findings may help to better inform, for potential future outbreaks, effective guidelines and prevention programs aimed at promoting the child's well-being in the family.

Long-Lasting Effects of the 2013 Yolanda Typhoon on Overall Health of Mothers and Children

OBJECTIVES

Three years after the 2013 Yolanda Typhoon, this study sought to determine the factors associated with the stress of the affected mothers and the health of the children on Leyte island, and the preparedness of the community to mitigate future potential disasters.

METHODS

Three hundred mothers with children from 0 to 7 years old were selected through convenience sampling, structured interviews conducted using the Hurricane-Related Traumatic Experiences questionnaire and the PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Checklist 5 (PCL5), and the children's weights and heights were measured.

RESULTS

The provisional PTSD prevalence was found to be 53.3% 3 y after Yolanda. The multiple regression analysis with multiple imputation for the missing values found that housing and childcare attitudes were significantly associated with preparedness.

CONCLUSIONS

This study concluded that living in multistoried houses was useful for disaster mitigation and that the caregiving responsibility for their children could be a disaster preparedness motivation for mothers.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, emotional and behavioral difficulties in children and adolescents 2 years after the 2012 earthquake in Italy: an epidemiological cross-sectional study

Despite the occurrence of several earthquakes, only a few studies were conducted in Italy on the psychological impact in children and adolescents, with data mostly collected within one year after the disaster. This cross-sectional study aimed at exploring the prevalence of both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and emotional/behavioral difficulties, as well as at identifying their main predictors, among youths 2 years after the earthquake that hit Northern Italy in 2012. 682 children and adolescents (9-14 years) living in two districts (earthquake zone vs control zone) were administered an exposure questionnaire, the UCLA PTSD-Index for DSM-IV, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and 1162 parents were assessed through the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90). The prevalence of a likely PTSD in the earthquake zone was 1.9% (4.4% near the epicenter) and the total PTSD score in the affected area was significantly higher than in the control zone. 14.9% of youths living in the earthquake zone had a borderline/abnormal SDQ total difficulties score and 87.5% of youth with a likely PTSD also had a SDQ total score in the borderline/abnormal range. Regression analysis showed that the number of lifetime traumatic events (e.g., death of a relative) was the best predictor of children/adolescents psychological difficulties 2 years after the earthquake, followed by severity of exposure (personal injuries and losses) and parental psychopathology. Despite some limitations, this study highlights that youths may exhibit PTSD symptoms years after disasters, often in comorbidity with behavioral/emotional difficulties, stressing the need for long-term surveillance and interventions in exposed populations.

Initial Challenges of Caregiving During COVID-19: Caregiver Burden, Mental Health, and the Parent-Child Relationship

Research confirms that the mental health burdens following community-wide disasters are extensive, with pervasive impacts noted in individuals and families. It is clear that child disaster outcomes are worst among children of highly distressed caregivers, or those caregivers who experience their own negative mental health outcomes from the disaster. The current study used path analysis to examine concurrent patterns of parents' (n = 420) experience from a national sample during the early months of the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic. The results of a multi-group path analysis, organized by parent gender, indicate good fit to the data [X²(10) = 159.04, p < .01]. Results indicate significant linkages between parents' caregiver burden, mental health, and perceptions of children's stress; these in turn are significantly linked to child-parent closeness and conflict, indicating possible spillover effects for depressed parents and compensatory effects for anxious parents. The impact of millions of families sheltering in place during the COVID-19 pandemic for an undefined period of time may lead to unprecedented impacts on individuals' mental health with unknown impacts on child-parent relationships. These impacts may be heightened for families whose caregivers experience increased mental health symptoms, as was the case for fathers in the current sample.

A two-way street: Mothers' and adolescent daughters' depression and PTSD symptoms jointly predict dyadic behaviors

Dyadic interactions may be affected by the mental health of either partner; however, both partners' symptoms are typically not considered simultaneously in observational studies of parent-child relationships. Using the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM), we examine how depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in mothers and adolescent daughters predict their own and each other's relational behaviors (warmth, hostility, communication) during interactions, and whether partners' relational behaviors predict changes in symptoms 1 month later. Participants include 150 mother (mean age = 41.6) and daughter (mean age = 15.1) dyads from diverse (57% Latina; 23% Black, 20% White), low-income families. Mothers and daughters reported on their symptoms and participated in a videotaped interaction task. A subset completed a follow-up interview 1 month later. For both depression and PTSD, mothers' and daughters' symptoms predicted their own relational behaviors (actor effects). In contrast, partner effects varied by symptom type and family role. Adolescents' depressive symptoms predicted how their mothers acted toward them, beyond maternal symptoms (an additive partner effect); the converse was not true. Mother and daughter PTSD symptoms interactively predicted daughters' relational behaviors (an Actor × Partner interaction), with buffering or exacerbating effects based on dyad symptom similarity. PTSD symptoms had unique effects beyond depression. In longitudinal analysis, mothers' relational behaviors predicted changes in adolescents' depressive symptoms, but adolescent behaviors were unrelated to subsequent maternal symptoms. Findings suggest that depression and PTSD symptoms may affect family relationships differently, and highlight the importance of considering both members' symptoms during interactions. Implications for dyadic interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in parents and adolescents after the Wenchuan earthquake: A longitudinal actor-partner interdependence model

BACKGROUND

Previous research has examined the association between parents' and children's posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSS) after a variety of traumatic events. However, longitudinal parent-child dyadic studies are scarce.

METHODS

Independent self-reports were collected from parent-adolescent dyads (n = 688) after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Adolescents (Mean = 15.22 years; 61.63% female) and one of their parents (Mean = 41.04 years; 58.14% female) each reported on their PTSS at 12 (T_12m) and 18 months (T_18m) following the earthquake. Longitudinal actor-partner interdependence models (APIMs) were used to examine PTSS within dyads.

RESULTS

The prevalence rates of probable PTSD at T_12m and T_18m were 18.90% and 11.92% in adolescents; as well as 22.09% and 15.12% in parents, showing a significant decline over time. After adjusted for earthquake exposure, both maternal and paternal PTSS at T_12m prospectively predicted adolescent girls' and boys' PTSS at T_18m (mother to daughter: β = 0.13; mother to son: β = 0.17; father to daughter: β = 0.17; father to son: β = 0.33), while adolescent girls' and boys' PTSS at T_12m only predicted maternal PTSS at T_18m (daughter to mother: β = 0.20; son to mother: β = 0.20), but not paternal PTSS at T_18m.

LIMITATIONS

Self-reported measures other than clinical reviews were used to collect data.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the mutual impacts of adolescent and parental (especially maternal) PTSS after a disaster. Psychological prevention and intervention for adolescent disaster survivors should adopt a whole family approach.

Political orientation moderates worldview defense in response to Osama bin Laden's death

The current study examines Americans' psychological responses to Osama bin Laden's death. We tracked changes in how different participants responded to dissimilar others from the night of bin Laden's death for five weeks. Liberal participants reported lower worldview defense (i.e., a defensive reaction to uphold one's cultural worldview) immediately after bin Laden's death but then returned to similar levels as their conservative counterparts over time. Conservative participants reported greater worldview defense during each point of the study and did not significantly change over time. These temporal differences between liberals and conservatives were only present in the year of bin Laden's death and not one year prior before. The current findings demonstrate that liberals and conservatives may react differently after major societal events in predictable ways considering their moral foundations.

Long-term psychological consequences among adolescent survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake in China: A cross-sectional survey six years after the disaster

BACKGROUND

Most epidemiological studies on adolescent survivors' mental health have been conducted within 2 years after the disaster. Longer-term psychological consequences remain unclear. This study explored psychological symptoms in secondary school students who were living in Sichuan province 6 years after the Wenchuan earthquake.

METHODS

A secondary data analysis was performed on data from a final survey of survivors conducted 6 years after the Wenchuan earthquake as part of the five-year mental health and psychosocial support project. A total of 2641 participants were divided into three groups, according to the level of traumatic experience exposure during the earthquake (0, 1, and 2 or more). ANCOVA was used to compare the mean scores of the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) among the three groups, adjusting for covariates such as age, gender, ethnicity, having a sibling, parents' divorce, and socio-economic status. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify relationships between the traumatic experiences and suicidality after the disaster.

RESULTS

Having two or more kinds of traumatic experiences was associated with higher psychological symptom scores on the SCL-90 (Cohen's d=0.23-0.33) and suicidal ideation (OR 1.98, 95% CIs:1.35-2.89) and attempts (OR 3.32, 95% CIs:1.65-6.68), as compared with having no traumatic experience.

LIMITATIONS

Causality cannot be inferred from this cross-sectional survey, and results may not generalize to other populations due to convenience sampling.

CONCLUSIONS

Severely traumatized adolescent survivors of the earthquake may suffer from psychological symptoms even 6 years after the disaster. Long-term psychological support will be needed for these individuals.

The Role of Parents, Parenting and the Family Environment in Children's Post-Disaster Mental Health

There is widespread support for the hypothesis that, post-disaster, children's mental health is impacted--at least in part--via the impact on parents, parenting, parent-child interactions, and the family environment. To some degree, the enthusiasm with which this hypothesis is held outstrips the evidence examining it. The current paper critically evaluates the empirical evidence for this hypothesis and concludes that although limited (both in terms of number of existing studies and methodological flaws), the extant literature indicates some parent-related variables, as well as some aspects of the family environment are likely to constitute risk or protective factors for children. Given that parenting is modifiable, it is proposed that the identified parent- and family-related factors represent important therapeutic targets, and a universal post-disaster parenting intervention (Disaster Recovery Triple P) is described.