Study shows that natural disaster can cause long-term stress among kids

By Staff Writer

Young children who live through a natural disaster may suffer from post-traumatic stress (PTS) in the years following the incident.

Researchers from the University of Miami and Florida International University (FIA) studied 384 children - in grades two through four - who lived through Hurricane Charley, which hit Southwest Florida in 2004. The storm led to 35 deaths and caused more than $16.3 billion worth of damage. Schools were closed for an extended period of time following the hurricane.

The team examined the psychological effects of the storm at two separate stages: nine months and 21 months after the hurricane occurred. Approximately 35 percent of the kids reported moderate to very severe levels of PTS at nine months, while 29 percent experienced those levels 21 months after Charley.

The study, which appears in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, discovered that post-traumatic stress impacted participants in a variety of ways, such as reoccurring dreams about the hurricane, feelings of sadness or fear, and being distracted in class.

Intervention treatments, such as wilderness therapy, can provide help for children who suffer from PTS.