Dermatitis linearis in travelers and local populations can be prevented through minimizing or modifying sources of artificial light, using pesticide-treated nets near beds and lights, general housekeeping and vegetation maintenance, and by raising awareness regarding the conditions caused by Paederus.

Background The authors examined depression trajectories over two years among mothers exposed to Hurricane Katrina. Risk and protective factors for depression trajectories, as well as associations with child outcomes were analyzed. Method This study included 283 mothers (age at time 1, M = 39.20 years, SD = 7.21; 62% African American). Mothers were assessed at four time points over two years following Hurricane Katrina. Mothers reported posttraumatic stress symptoms, hurricane exposure, traumatic life events, and social support at time 1. Depressive symptoms were modeled at times 2, 3, and 4. Youth reported their distress symptoms (posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety) at time 4. Results Latent class growth analyses identified three maternal depression trajectories among mothers exposed to Hurricane Katrina: low (61%), resilient (29%), and chronic (10%). Social support was identified as a protective factor among mothers. Conclusions Three main trajectories of maternal depression following Hurricane Katrina were identified. Social support was protective for mothers. Identified trajectories were not associated with children’s distress outcomes. These results have implications for disaster responses, screening efforts, and interventions targeted towards families. Future studies warrant the investigation of additional risk and protective factors that can affect maternal and child outcomes.

BACKGROUND Families exposed to disasters such as Hurricane Katrina are at risk for numerous adverse outcomes. While previous literature suggests that the degree of disaster exposure corresponds with experiencing negative outcomes, it is unclear if parents and children report similar levels of disaster exposure. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this paper was to examine levels of disaster stressor agreement among mother-child dyads affected by Hurricane Katrina, and to examine whether discrepancies in disaster stressor reports are associated with higher levels of posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms. METHODS Participants in this study consisted of 353 dyads of mothers (age M = 38.79 years, SD = 7.52; 68% African American) and children (52% girls; age M = 11.61 years, SD = 1.57) exposed to Hurricane Katrina. Parents and children were assessed at two timepoints, 3 – 7 months and 14 – 17 months postdisaster. Parent and child responses to items regarding hurricane related stressor exposure and PTS symptoms were analyzed. RESULTS Agreement on hurricane related exposures was predominately slight to moderate, with kappas ranging from κ = .19 to κ = .83. Polynomial regression analyses revealed that when mothers reported low levels of Immediate Loss/Disruption stressors and children reported high levels of these stressors, children reported higher levels of Time 2 PTS symptoms, b = -.72 (.33), p = .03. CONCLUSIONS Overall, levels of mother-child response agreement were low. Discrepancies in mother and child reports predicted higher levels of child PTS symptoms. Clinicians may want to query both parents and children about their disaster experiences when working with families postdisaster.

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