IMPACT OF DISASTER ON CHILDREN--DIOXIN AND FLOOD

该项目将研究的心理社会和精神的影响， 通过开展有控制的后续行动， 对有3至18岁儿童的家庭的研究， 在1982年末和春季经历了严重洪水的社区 1983. 约150个家庭（200名儿童）将接受采访 包括：时代海滩的70户家庭，时代海滩是一个被证实的二恶英污染点; 来自Buscher Bottoms的家庭，这是一个疑似二恶英的场所， 环保局在1984年3月或4月;和40个家庭从蒙哥马利分区，一个 邻近地区也同样被洪水淹没，但没有二恶英的威胁。 目前正在进行一项试点研究， 父母和孩子都在Buscher Bottoms和蒙哥马利分区 在居民意识到怀疑二恶英之前， 在EPA测试结果公布一个月后， 公布 时代海滩的父母目前正在接受采访， 一年后为自己评估双重灾难的后果 和他们的家人 我们建议对试点研究中的家庭进行第三次采访 并加入了来自时代海滩的孩子，他们的父母之前被研究过。 来自初步研究的信息将提供 在检测结果公布后不久， 因此，我们可以测量暴露对 精神症状。 这项研究的结果将促进方法，包括 儿童参与灾难性事件的研究， 关于灾难的影响。 它也将有可能识别 增加或减少灾害影响的原有风险因素。 这些资料将有助于查明需要服务的人 以及规划未来的服务。

This project will examine the psychosocial and psychiatric effects of disaster on children and their parents by conducting a controlled follow-up study of families with children, ages 3-18 years of age, from three communities which experienced severe flooding during late 1982 and Spring 1983. Approximately 150 families (200 children) will be interviewed including: 70 families from Times Beach, a confirmed dioxin site; 40 families from Buscher Bottoms, a suspected dioxin site to be tested by the EPA in March or April 1984; and 40 families from Montgomery Subdivision, a neighboring area similarly flooded but without the threat of dioxin. A pilot study is currently in progress collecting baseline data from parents and children in both Buscher Bottoms and Montgomery Subdivision prior to the residents' awareness of suspected dioxin and involving re-interviews with residents one month after EPA test results are announced. Parents in Times Beach are presently being interviewed to assess consequences of the double disaster one year later for themselves and their families. We propose to interview for a third time the families from the pilot study and to add children from Times Beach whose parents were previously studied. Information from the pilot study will provide psychiatric status prior to awareness of the threat of dioxin as well as shortly after the test results are announced, thus allowing us to measure the effect of exposure on psychiatric symptoms. The results of this study will advance the methodology of including children in studies of catastrophic events and will increase knowledge regarding the impact of disaster. It will also be possible to identify pre-existing risk factors that augment or reduce the impact of disaster. This information will assist in identification of those in need of services and in planning future services.