This study investigated the role of maternal psychopathology in predicting children's psychological distress in a disaster-exposed sample. Participants consisted of 260 children (ages 8-16) recruited from public schools and their mothers. These families were displaced from New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Assessment took place 3 to 7 months postdisaster. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that global maternal psychological distress and maternal posttraumatic stress disorder moderated the relation between child hurricane exposure and mother-reported child internalizing and externalizing symptoms.

The results of the study suggest that the FHBS is a promising measure of family eating and physical activity habits related to obesity in children.

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