Parental response and adolescent adjustment to the september 11, 2001 terrorist attacks

Abstract

This study examined adolescents' adjustment following the attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11). A Web-based survey was administered 2 weeks and 7 months postattacks to a national sample of adolescents (N = 104). A randomly selected parent also completed a survey at the 7-month assessment.Although exposure to the attacks was indirect, over half the participants felt threatened. Adolescents' posttraumatic stress symptoms were associated with their acute stress symptoms, parental distress, parental coping advice, parental availability to discuss the attacks, and reports that 9/11-related discussions were unhelpful. Adolescents' distress symptoms were associated with a history of mental health problems, acute stress symptoms, and parental unavailability to discuss the attacks.

Family Influences on the Long Term Post-Disaster Recovery of Puerto Rican Youth

“…Prior research has indicated that parental MH influences children’s post-disaster MH (e.g., Gil-Rivas et al, 2007; Silverman & La Greca, 2002; Spell et al, 2008; Rowe et al, 2010; Valentino et al, 2010), and we explored how parental history of MH problems may moderate our models of family influences on children’s post-disaster psychopathology. Our preliminary analysis comparing hurricane exposed and non-exposed families on history of MH problems showed that hurricane exposed parents were more likely to report a history of MH problems.…”

“…Children whose parents were highly distressed following natural disasters appeared to have a greater number of disaster-related problems than children whose parents were not so distressed (Gil-Rivas, Silver, Holman, McIntosh, & Poulin, 2007; Norris et al, 2002; Spell et al, 2008). MH problems can influence parents to either over- or under-estimate children’s reaction to disaster (Silverman & La Greca, 2002).…”

“…MH problems can influence parents to either over- or under-estimate children’s reaction to disaster (Silverman & La Greca, 2002). Indeed, parental MH or post-disaster distress can affect their ability to monitor their children, interpret cues and indicators of children’s emotional and behavioral functioning, and their ability to be responsive to children’s needs (Gil-Rivas et al, 2007). We expected that parental history of MH problems would moderate the relationship of hurricane exposure to family environment to child and youth internalizing psychopathology.…”

Parenting After a Natural Disaster: A Qualitative Study of Norwegian Families Surviving the 2004 Tsunami in Southeast Asia

“…They may facilitate their children’s adjustment by providing them with suggestions for how to cope with what happened (Gil-Rivas et al 2007; Prinstein et al 1996), and by listening to their fears and concerns (Gil-Rivas et al 2007). Recently, a set of evidence-informed recommendations have been put forward, suggesting how parents should care for their children after surviving high-impact disasters (e.g.…”

Families Coping with Natural Disasters: Lessons from Wildfires and Tornados

“…Parents provided informational and emotional support, encouraged active involvement in preparedness and recovery efforts, positively reframed potentially negative outcomes (e.g., explaining they had insurance to rebuild homes), and adjusted their parenting style to accommodate variations in children's reactivity to the disaster. Other researchers have reported similar findings: that soothing self-talk, parental reframing, discussing emotions, and acceptance lowered children's distress levels after a disaster (Gil-Rivas et al 2007). In research on interventions with children affected by a wildfire disaster, McDermott et al (2005) have suggested that helping children, especially younger children, regulate their internal emotional states may be more important to their adjustment than the objective characteristics of the disaster event itself.…”