Psychological Functioning of Children /Hurricane Katrina

描述(申请人提供)：卡特里娜飓风是美国最具破坏性的自然灾害之一，在路易斯安那州造成严重破坏、失业和死亡。在新奥尔良，超过500,000所房屋被损坏或摧毁，导致大量家庭流离失所。这项研究的主要目的是调查卡特里娜飓风和流离失所对青少年心理健康、社会行为、学校适应和家庭功能的影响。将调查与流离失所(以及其他飓风暴露变量)和儿童适应之间的关系有关的潜在保护性因素和风险因素。具体地说，我们将确定和跟踪卡特里娜飓风过后(7周、7个月、13个月、19个月)流离失所青年中青年心理、行为和社会功能的流行率、严重性和稳定性。第一波将在没有资金的情况下开始。被疏散的样本将与第一波的对照样本进行比较，这在以前的研究中没有进行过。我们将有一个独特的机会来比较路易斯安那州(洛杉矶)公立学校系统中所有参与该项目的学生在飓风前和飓风后的学校功能。最后，我们将确定与流离失所和儿童整体适应之间的关系相关的风险和保护因素。重点是把育儿行为作为一种保护因素。该项目将建立在以往灾后研究的基础上，收集纵向数据，结果涉及儿童功能的几个领域，包括心理健康、社会、学校和家庭功能。这项研究将有能力检查与灾难暴露后年轻人的复原力、恢复力和精神病理学相关的潜在可修改因素。最后，拟议的项目将向我们提供有关自然灾害后流离失所对儿童和家庭的影响的重要信息，这是迄今为止研究严重不足的现象。我们预计，调查结果将对公共卫生产生重大影响，并将利用这些调查结果开发公共教育资源和材料，这些资源和材料可能对未来灾难发生后的家庭有用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating natural disasters in the United States, causing heavy destruction, job loss, and death in Louisiana. Over 500,000 homes in New Orleans were damaged or destroyed resulting in an extraordinary number of families being displaced The primary aims of this study are to examine the impact of Hurricane Katrina and displacement on youth mental health, social behavior, school adjustment, and family functioning. Potential protective and risk factors associated with the relation between displacement (as well as other hurricane exposure variables) and child adjustment will be investigated. Specifically, we will identify and track the prevalence, severity, and stability of youth psychological, behavioral, and social functioning in displaced youth in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina over time (7 weeks, 7 months, 13 months, 19 months). Wave 1 will begin without funding. The evacuated sample will be compared to a comparison sample at Wave 1 which has not been done in previous research. We will have the unique opportunity to compare children's pre- and post-hurricane school functioning for all students participating in the project who are enrolled in the Louisiana (LA) public school system. Finally, we will identify risk and protective factors associated with the relation between displacement and child overall adjustment. Emphasis is on parenting behavior as a protective factor. This project will build on prior post-disaster research by collecting longitudinal data with outcomes addressing several domains of child functioning including mental health, social, school, and family functioning. This study will have the power to examine potentially modifiable factors associated with resilience, recovery, and psychopathology among youth following disaster exposure. Last, the proposed project will provide us with critical information about the effects of displacement on children and families in the aftermath of a natural disaster, a significantly understudied phenomenon to date. We anticipate that findings will have significant implications for public health, and the findings will be used to develop public education resources and materials that may be useful to families in the aftermath of future disasters.