Disasters and Youth: A Meta-analytic Examination of Posttraumatic Stress

Abstract

Objective: A sizable body of literature has now examined posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms in youth in the aftermath of disaster. Meta-analysis is the preferred tool with which to inform funding decisions, service delivery, and public policy. Method: The present meta-analysis quantitatively synthesized this literature (k=96 studies; Total N = 74,154), summarizing the magnitude of overall associations between disasters and youth PTS, and identifying child, disaster, and study method factors associated with variations in the magnitude of these associations. Results: Despite variability across studies, disasters had a significant effect on youth PTS symptoms, falling in the small-to-medium range of magnitude. Aspects related to pre-existing child characteristics, the disaster and the child’s disaster exposure, and study methodology are significantly associated with variations in the magnitude of disaster effects on youth PTS symptoms. Specifically, female gender, higher death toll, closer proximity, personal loss, and perceived threat and distress at the time of the event were each associated with increased post-disaster PTS in youth. Regarding methodological factors, studies conducted within the first year postdisaster, studies that used established PTS measures, and studies that relied on childreport data identified a significant effect on youth PTS, whereas studies conducted after the first year, studies relying on non-established measures, and studies relying on parentreport data did not. Conclusion: In the aftermath of disasters, governmental funding agencies and private foundations provide substantial resources for child services following disasters. The present meta-analytic findings can help to inform optimal allocation of these resources and targeted intervention efforts, as well as the development and refinement of new interventions for youth suffering in the aftermath of disasters.